Learning To Cope
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Nothing could have ever prepared Sarah for this.
1. Bathroom Floor

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Ninja Steel._

It felt like Madam Oedius had won – like her father was right in the end. The Rangers hadn't been able to stop her. Sarah hadn't been able to protect her own family and in the end, it was them who paid the price.

More than a year before, Sarah had been a little over eager. She was new to Summer Cove and entering her junior year, having skipped a year due to her high grades and dedication to her school work. Summer Cove, unlike her past high school, had many choices when it came to classes and extra curriculars. It was a High School that was well funded and very well supported by the parents. The teachers there were dedicated to the all-around success of their students and so made sure that there was at least one club where any student could feel included and successful.

For Sarah, that meant there were plenty of wonderful options to choose from. She wanted to boost her college resume and make it stand out from all the others. While good grades would go a long way, and though she was at the top of all her classes, that wasn't all colleges were looking for. They wanted well-rounded students, kids who could do more than score well on a test.

So, Sarah picked four clubs to join: camping, chess, track-and-field and archery. She excelled in all four areas already, so she thought it might be easy and fun to participate. Not to mention, she had friends who had joined each club, so she would have someone to talk with about it.

However, all the clubs were meeting at once, and if Sarah wanted to keep her spot, she would have to be at all the meetings. It wasn't much of a problem. She had already been toying with the idea of clones and this pushed that idea to the front of the line. She created holo-clones that took her place in each club. They were capable of doing everything Sarah could do, nothing more and nothing less, so it wasn't really cheating.

Unfortunately, her technology ended up in the wrong hands. By that time, she had been fighting against Galvanax and his monster crew for a couple of months and knew that they were from a distant galaxy where the technology was far more advanced than anything Earth had seen. It crossed her mind that cloning technology could pose a problem, but since Galvanax's tech was so advanced, she thought maybe clones were the equivalent of a flip phone, still somewhat useful, but mostly outdated.

She was wrong. Very wrong. Galvanax used the technology to create eight clones of himself, which he unleashed on the city. To date it was still the most devastating attack the city had seen, and still had the highest death count. The eight giant Galvanaxs destroyed everything in sight and crushed people and buildings in the wake of his damage.

Her father was one of those people. He had gone missing the night of the attack and remained missing long after the search was called off and the city was cleaned. Sarah and her mother were sure he was dead.

But the lack of a body left Sarah with many questions. She didn't like questions without answers and so, after Brody was reunited with Aiden – or rather, Levi – Sarah thought it might be possible to find her father again as well. Since there was no body, there was a chance, however small, that he was still alive. She created a time machine with Mick that would take her back to the moment of the attack. While she and the Rangers from the past would be busy keeping stopping Galvanax, she could focus on finding her father. She had a good idea of where he was at the time of the attack and started there.

To her surprise, she did find him. He wasn't in a good way but she was sure that if she got him back to the present and to a hospital, he might have a chance. She tried to bring him back, but Mick had claimed he lost the time machine and without it, they couldn't go home. While she was looking for it, Mick was left to watch her father. Sarah didn't know the details of what happened, and she never bothered to ask. All she knew was Mick let her father die. It was a sacrifice Mick still claimed was necessary at the time, and it had been the only way to ensure they both made it back home safely. Part of Sarah had yet to forgive him for that, but at least it answered her question. Her father was buried under an impossible amount of debris. Even if his body was recoverable – he was dead.

It was a hard blow, but Sarah bounced back from it eventually. Now that she knew for sure her father was gone, she could focus on building a life without him. It was never the same, and his absence was always felt at home, but with Jenny stepping up as sole parent, Sarah started to feel like she had a family again. At the very least, Jenny provided her with the unconditional love, support and guidance that she still needed as a teenager.

Though it seemed impossible, Bill did return home. Madam Oedius had saved him from the debris and nursed him back to health. She let him live, though kept him prisoner until he was strong enough to return home. Once the time came, she released him under the condition that he work for her and do as she asked. If he were to betray her, she would target his family.

Sarah couldn't understand why her father wouldn't ask for her help right away. If he had explained what happened and warned the Rangers of the trouble he was about to bring, she was sure they could have protected him. Instead, he sealed Anne's fate, selecting her as the Ranger parent who had to lose her life, a choice that couldn't be forgiven. From there, he pleaded with his family that he had no choice but to work for Oedius, and chose her over them, claiming it was for the best. Sarah had to hope his intentions were good, but he caused a lot more trouble for the Rangers than anything.

She finally had enough of her father when he did return home and asked for help. He pleaded with her and Jenny, while Kelly watched, that he would turn his back on Oedius. Whether he meant it or not was irrelevant, as Oedius arrived, furious she had been betrayed. She attacked Kelly, smashing her repeatedly into a wall until she was bleeding from the head and unconscious. While that hadn't been the cause of Kelly's paralysis, Sarah still blamed Oedius for what happened. The only reason they had to rush to help Kelly was because Oedius had attacked her. The only reason they couldn't wait for 911, or take her to the hospital themselves was because they didn't want to panic the city. Oedius was attacking Rangers and their families. The cities and civilians were safe from random attacks, but the Rangers couldn't explain that to anyone without outing themselves. A second attack from Oedius was sure to cause panic, and panic would lead to trouble.

They had to make do with help from former Ninja Rangers. They had to rush Kelly to Ninja Ops and risk her recovery to save her life. Somewhere in the transport, they further injured Kelly's back, causing the paralysis. No one was sure if she would recover from it or not, but the damage was already done.

After Kelly's diagnosis, and after conferencing with Hayley, Kelly, as well as the other Rangers, Sarah had to make a tough decision. She wanted to believe her father was trying to make up for what he had done. She wanted to believe he meant well, but he was too far gone. He was responsible for killing Anne, and he had to claim some responsibility for the harm that came to Kelly.

Hayley and Kelly had made their desires clear. They would support Sarah in any way they could if she wanted to help her father, but they wanted nothing to do with him directly. If they were successful in bringing Bill home and freeing him of Oedius, they didn't want to see him, speak to him, or even hear his voice. Regardless of what he chose at the end, he would always be the man who sentenced their mother to death. Sarah could understand that. Her best friend and her girlfriend were already doing more than she could ever ask of them by offering to help. She didn't want to pressure them into forgiving and embracing a man they viewed as a monster back into their lives.

But Sarah contemplated the position that would put her in, especially the strain it would put on her relationship with Kelly. Even if Sarah could forgive her father and trust him to be back in her life even part time, she would never be able to have him and Kelly in a room together. There would be no family dinners and holidays would have to be split. Though she was young, her relationship with Kelly was long term. They talked about a future together. Sarah didn't want to have to choose between her father and her girlfriend. She didn't want to constantly feel torn.

So, with help from her friends, and after talking with her mother, she knew what she needed to do. Through everything, her friends had stood by her. Kelly had stood by her. When Sarah had suffered from her brain injury, which caused unpredictable fits of rage, seizures, stuttering, and admittedly, some depression, her friends had stood by her. Kelly had been by her side, fighting to help Sarah recover. Sarah could trust her girlfriend and her friends with her life. She could no longer say that about her own father.

Jenny packed his bag and Sarah asked him to leave. She would protect him from Oedius, but she didn't want him in her life anymore. She wanted that chapter to be closed. She had just gotten through to him, and she was sure he had been about to leave, but Oedius followed through on her promise.

It was swift, but at the same time, time stood still. Oedius appeared in the workshop at the Romero home. She reminded Bill of his deal and how, if he betrayed her, she would kill his wife and daughter. Sarah had morphed and hoped to defend her parents until the others could hear there was trouble and arrive, but Oedius was far more prepared. She was stronger and, despite what Sarah wanted to believe, far faster than the pink Ranger. Sarah had never been in some much pain before as she was struck down. Oedius wasted no time dropping her bomb and in exploded as soon as it hit the ground. Sarah was still morphed when the workshop blew up. Her Ranger suit was the only reason she was still alive.

Her parents weren't as fortunate. They didn't have time to escape and didn't have the protection Sarah did. Neither of them had a chance to say goodbye. One minute, Jenny was promising to be a good mother to Sarah, claiming Sarah was her daughter and asking Bill to keep his distance out of respect. The next, she was gone. She didn't survive long enough for the ambulance to arrive.

Bill was dead instantly.

Sarah held on long enough for an ambulance to show up. The explosion was deemed a freak accident, so the Rangers could leave Oedius' name out of it. Sarah was in and out of consciousness on the way to the hospital, then rushed into surgery.

When she came out of it, she had no idea the state her parents were in. She held onto hope that, like her, they survived.

Though it was called a freak accident, the explosion still needed to be investigated. Summer Cove police got the case, but Gia took over the investigation and officially ruled it an accident, deeming there was no foul play and the two deaths, though tragic, were there result of an accident.

Since it was her case, she was the one to break the news to Sarah. It wasn't her first time having to break news this upsetting, so she was confident she knew how to handle it. Sarah reacted as expected – with anger first, then she was uncontrollably upset. Gia could calm her enough, so it wouldn't delay her recovery, but it was Sarah's team who could comfort her completely.

Bill couldn't have an official funeral, since he was already dead, but the Rangers, with Aaron's help, were able to delay Jenny's funeral until Sarah was out of the hospital. Though the pink Ranger stated repeatedly that she couldn't bring herself to go, her friends knew they still couldn't take that choice away from her. Sarah did end up attending Jenny's funeral but stayed in her room for the wake afterwards. She didn't want anyone's pity or sympathy. She didn't want people to apologize or ask her what would happen now or tell her that things would get better.

A week after the funeral, she was clear to go back to school. It would be Kelly's first day back too. Sarah thought that, together, it might be easier, but the morning of, she wasn't well. She hadn't slept the night before and when three AM rolled around, her stomach was unsettled. Before the hour was up, she was puking in the bathroom.

When her alarm went off at six, she still wasn't in bed. Kelly had to get herself out of bed and discovered the bathroom door was locked. She couldn't open it on her own. Fortunately, Aaron knew how to pick a lock. He opened the door and he and Kelly discovered Sarah had passed out over the toilet. When Kelly woke her and asked it she was alright, Sarah responded with an honest no. When Aaron asked if she thought she might be able to go to school, Sarah started heaving. There was nothing left in her stomach to come back up, but that wouldn't stop her body from trying.

Though Kelly and Hayley wanted to stay home, Aaron told them it was probably best they head to school. What Sarah needed right now was her mother, and since they couldn't bring Jenny home, he felt it was best they give the pink Ranger some space. They would see her again later, and Aaron thought maybe if Kelly told her about school, it might help Sarah return the following day.

Shane took over trying to comfort Sarah while the girls got ready for school. Jenny had just named him Sarah's legal guardian if anything happened, and it was a responsibility he would take seriously. Cam had already granted him all the time off he would need, as he, Tori and Dustin were more than willing to cover all his classes to help.

Shane sat with Sarah on the bathroom floor until after Hayley, Kelly and Aaron left the house. He tried to get Sarah to leave the bathroom, but she was dizzy when she stood up. He went to the kitchen and brought her back some toast to give her some energy. Sarah barely ate, and what she did eat came back up.

Shane wasn't sure what to do. He knew what Sarah needed, but he couldn't give it to her and he didn't know what to do or say to help. When the school called after Shane for confirm Sarah's absence, he explained what happened. They were, after all, professionals at handling children. They had to have at least some suggestions.

After speaking for an hour with Principal Hastings, there was at least a plan in place for Sarah's return to school. Principal Hastings seemed sure that a return to school would bring with it a routine that Sarah could depend on. From there, the predictability of the routine, as well as the support that would be in place for Sarah to cope and grieve at school, she was sure Sarah would start to feel better. All Shane had to do on his end every morning was push a little harder for Sarah to get to school.

After the talk with Hastings, Shane was expecting Serena to arrive. While she worked at the school as an aide, her priority was Sarah. In Sarah's absence there were other students she could help, but Principal Hastings had decided that school could extend beyond the building's walls. She allowed Serena to leave the grounds to help her student from her home. Serena arrived at the Thompson house and Shane opened the door.

"You'd think you were the one puking all morning."

"I'm in so far over my head," Shane admitted to her. Jenny had said it to him when she first became Sarah's primary parent. In fact, she had said it to him before even marrying Bill. He knew it was new-parent jitters, but that didn't mean it wasn't true.

"You asked for help, so you're doing something right," Serena told him with a smile.

"I know she wants – needs, rather – Jenny," Shane said. "I don't know… what do I do for that?"

"Has she eaten?"

"Nothing that'll stay down," Shane shook his head. "I've contemplated calling 911 because of how sick she is…"

"It's just anxiety," Serena assured him. "I'll check her out, maybe talk to her a bit, and if she's still not well, we can take her to the doctor later."

"You're sure?"

"No, but that's why I'm going to talk to her," Serena said with a chuckle. "Relax, red. I've been sick. I know what's fine and what's not."

"Didn't you let yourself get so sick, there was no turning back?" Shane asked.

"That's how I know what's fine and what's not," Serena told him. "Just make something light for Sarah for breakfast. Once she eats, she should start to feel and look a bit better."

"I… I'll figure something out, then," Shane said. "Sarah's upstairs in the bathroom."

As Shane went to try to fix up something Sarah could keep down, Serena made her way to the bathroom. By now, Sarah was sitting on the floor, leaning back against the tub, though keeping her eyes on the toilet. Serena sat down next to her. She figured it was obvious how Sarah was feeling, and asking her if she was okay would be a little redundant. Talking about it would only cause Sarah to think about her pain, so Serena decided a different approach was necessary.

"Kelly got to school this morning," she said. "The ramps and stuff were already there, as you know, but she made her way into the building like a pro. She got her elevator pass and was only a few minutes late to her first class. Mrs. Finch told her that if she's running late because it's hard to get through the halls, that she can just sneak in quietly. Once we're back at school, we can get her caught up.

"We?" Sarah asked.

"Well, she doesn't need an aide for learning, but you've walked those halls between classes. You know how hard it is when you aren't in a chair. Mrs. Finch said we'll sit together at the back and co-learn together. She can take notes for both of you and summarize readings and stuff when she is in class, and you can listen and absorb the material if she's late. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me."

"If I go back," Sarah muttered. She felt her stomach turn but didn't feel the need to rush to the toilet.

"You'll go back," Serena told her confidently. "Maybe not today, or even tomorrow, but I'm sure, pretty soon, you're gonna get tired of spending your days with Mr. Toilet."

"I can't even imagine that," Sarah said. "I just… I think about leaving and…"

She dove for the toilet. Serena winced as she heard the vomit coming up and splashing into the water. After two kids and dealing with many, many bouts of the flu with all the members of her family, that sound and the smell still made her sick. She managed to keep her own breakfast down and when Sarah was done, she offered a comforting smile.

"We're not going to make you go until you're ready," Serena promised her. "But you have to know we're going to do everything we can to help get you ready, right?"

"I don't think I…"

"Shane's making breakfast. I know food's the last thing on your mind right now but you really should eat," Serena told her. "After you've had a few bites, you don't have to finish anything, we'll think about maybe… stepping outside."

Sarah shook her head, "No."

"Sarah…"

"No," Sarah refused. She couldn't bring herself to go outside. She could barely consider leaving the bathroom. Serena looked at her stubbornly. She would afford Sarah some room to resist, but she wasn't going to allow the teenager to outright refuse help when it was offered.

"We'll just go out to the front lawn," she suggested but Sarah shook her head again. Serena sighed, "Fine," she said and noticed Sarah looked like she had won. Serena continue, "If you can give me one good reason why."

"I…" Sarah said but drew a blank. She couldn't think of a good reason, but she still didn't feel comfortable leaving the house. Serena pulled in a little closer to her.

"Why?" she asked her. "Why does it scare you so much?"

"If I leave, then it's real," Sarah said. "Jenny's… gone."

"Moving on?" Serena asked and Sarah nodded her head. "You're afraid if you move forward…"

"It'll be like she never existed."

Serena could admit that was a good reason. Learning to live without someone you depended on for most of your life was difficult, and it was normal to feel like you were leaving them behind, or disrespecting them completely by living without them. Simply feeling happy, or anything positive without them around could feel like a huge betrayal.

However, it wasn't the reason Serena was looking for to stay inside. It was more reason to get out of the house. Sarah couldn't live the rest of her life trapped inside, waiting for Jenny to come home. While she could speak for Jenny personally, she knew as a mother, if anything happened to her, she would want to know that Terran and Sammie could find happiness again. She would want to know that they would learn to live without her.

"Come on," Serena said as she got up off the floor. She offered her hand to the pink Ranger who nervously took it. "We'll take this a step at a time first. We'll eat, then we won't even go out on the lawn. We'll stand on the porch."

"But…"

"Your mother loved you, Sarah," Serena reminded her. "As hard as it is for you, you have to know that Jenny would want you to get back to your regular schedule."

"I'm gonna be sick."

"You'll be fine," Serena assured her. "Just… try it. If it feels like too much, let me know, we'll spend the rest of the day in here. I've never hung out with a toilet before, but if it helps you feel better, I'll get to know the guy."

Sarah cracked a very small smile. It was barely existent, but Serena caught a glimpse of it. She smiled back and helped the pink Ranger up.

"Baby steps. No one said you have to do this quickly."


	2. Two Nervous Wrecks

Kelly's first day back at school didn't go how she expected or wanted. She wanted to return with Sarah, and they could tackle the first day jitters and challenges together. However, it was too early for Sarah to go back and as disappointed as Kelly was, she could understand. She had lost three parents, and while she didn't feel close to two of them, all their deaths were hard. It was a lot to adjust to and everyone had a different grieving process. Some took longer, and others found strength in moving on. Even among the Fosters, after Anne died, Kelly, Aaron and Hayley went through the grieving process in their own ways.

After leaving Sarah at home, Kelly walked to school with Hayley. Halfway there, they met up with Calvin. Right away, he asked where Sarah was, knowing this was her first day back too. All Kelly could tell him was that Sarah wouldn't be coming.

As they walked the rest of the way, Kelly couldn't help but worry about how she would get around the school. She knew it was accessible. The floors were even and there was a ramp at the front door already. She would stop by the office to pick up her elevator pass and Mrs. Finch and Mick would understand if she was late for class. Though she had her plan in place and she knew it would be okay, coming to school without Sarah still scared her. They were going to tackle the challenges together and help each other. Kelly understood why Sarah stayed home, but she still felt let down by her girlfriend.

Fortunately, her friends were supportive. Hayley and Calvin came with her to get the elevator pass and Serena had assured her that she had already spoken with Principal Hastings and Mrs. Finch. When they later found Brody and Levi at Brody's locker, the red Ranger offered to carry her books. When Preston arrived at school, he and the Rangers made a promise to Kelly that since they had all the same classes, they would walk with her, regardless of how long it took. If Kelly would be late, they would all be late, but at least they could help her navigate the busy halls and maybe suggest a few ideas to help get her moving a little faster.

Halfway through first period, a phone call came to the room. Mrs. Finch picked it up, nodded her head a few times then thanked whoever called. After, she asked Serena, who had been helping some students who were having a hard time with the lesson, to come speak with her outside.

Serena didn't come back after that, but she did text the Rangers to say she was going to Sarah's house.

Kelly was late to second period, but the other Rangers arrived late with her after collecting their books. Mrs. Finch didn't say anything. Kelly knew if she was late to come in as quietly as possible and try to catch up as quickly as possible. Hopefully, Sarah would be back at school soon and could help Kelly with the parts that she missed.

After third period, the Rangers had lunch. Levi, who worked around the school as an extra hand, had already saved them a seat at the table. Kelly had a lunch packed and so joined him right away. She rolled her chair up to the table, then looked to her packed lunch with a sigh.

"So, is Sarah coming tomorrow?" Preston asked, and it was innocent enough. All Kelly had told the guys was that Sarah wouldn't be coming today. She didn't mention anything about being sick.

"I think she'll try," Kelly answered, but looked to Hayley to see if the white Ranger had a better answer.

"Hopefully. That math lesson really confused me," Preston said. "I could really use an extra hand with it, if she's up to it."

"I'm sure she'll want to help when she's back," Kelly said.

"It might cheer her up to hear how your first day went," Hayley suggested. "You were only five minutes late to first period. It's not bad considering the mess in the hallway during the transitions."

Kelly unwrapped her sandwich with a shrug. On the surface her first day had gone well. She made it to class, no one asked too many questions, or any inappropriate questions. She had a space to eat at lunch and she didn't feel like she had fallen too far behind on her work. Still, this day could have been much better. Even with her friends around, she still felt lonely, and she couldn't help but worry about Sarah at home.

"Yeah…"

"You did really well," Calvin said. He could hear the sadness in her voice and he was sure the others could as well. "You're pretty much a pro at this now."

"And now that you've done it, tomorrow will be easier," Levi said. "And it'll just get easier…"

"Excuse me," Kelly interrupted and pulled away from the table before talking off. Levi looked a little hurt as he wondered if he had said something offensive or hurtful. Preston put down his lunch and followed Kelly out of the cafeteria. He followed her to her locker, where she was already getting her books out for their last class. They had shop with Mick, so it didn't make sense at all that she was trying to be early. Mrs. Finch had been so flexible with Kelly and Mick, knowing the full story, would for sure.

"She's not coming tomorrow, is she?" Preston asked and Kelly shook her head.

"We were supposed to start together," Kelly said. "That was the plan. We come back together and help each other."

"Why did she back out?"

"She got sick," Kelly answered and sighed. "I think… I think it was too soon."

"These things take time," Preston told her. "Even for someone like Sarah."

"You don't think I know that?" Kelly snapped. "I've had three parents die and now I'm stuck in this stupid chair and… we were supposed to come back together."

"So why didn't you wait? Everyone would have understood if…"

"Aaron thought Sarah might need some space," Kelly muttered. "And there's no reason why I can't come to school."

"Sounds like you're mad at her," Preston said and when Kelly looked horrified by his comment, he shook his head. "I don't mean that in a bad way, like you're not supportive or anything. It's just that you had a plan and she kind of let you down. You're upset and maybe a bit mad?"

"Today was hard for me," Kelly said. "I know it all went well, and I know I've been to school before and stuff but… in this chair, everything feels new."

"It's scary."

"Very," Kelly nodded. "You know, on the way here, I imagined falling out of my chair and freaking out over what I might do? I couldn't think of a reason I'd fall out, and I knew you guys would be there to help if it did happen but… I just couldn't shake the thought, you know?"

"I'm the king of overthinking and worrying," Preston told her with a slight chuckle. "I know exactly what you mean."

"Sarah's always been by my side," Kelly continued. "Even… even when I outed her and this place shut me out, it was Sarah who stood up for me and pulled me back. Now I'm in this chair and… she can't help me. She's too busy throwing up or something."

"Sounds bad."

"I know," Kelly sighed. "It's just… she bailed on me now and going back to school is just going to get harder the more she refuses to go and…"

"Sounds like you're overthinking again," Preston said.

"But you know I'm right."

"But I know Sarah too," Preston said. "I know that when things get tough or they're scary, that's when Sarah really comes to life."

"Not this time."

"Are you sure?" Preston asked. "Look, maybe she won't be strong enough to come to school tomorrow or even at all this week, but I don't think Sarah's just going to let this get worse."

"You don't?"

"Serena's already gone to help her, and she's got Shane there too," Preston said. "How about, after school, you head back and just… see what Sarah's been up to today."

"Puking?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Preston said. "If she spent the day on the floor, maybe just talk to her about what scared her, kind of like we're doing now and see if there's something you can do to help. But I don't think that'll be the case."

"What do you think is going to happen?"

"Well, if Sarah is who I think she is, you might go home and she might be doing a little better. And you'll know she is as soon as you see her. If that's the case, then you'll know she didn't abandon you."

"She just needed more time?"

"She'll be back to school before you know it," Preston said. "And once she is, you can fall out of your chair all you want," he teased.

"Great…"

"But until she is back, I'll help you up, if you fall," Preston said. "I promise, I won't just leave you lying in the hallway. I'll be your Sarah."

"Two nervous wrecks make a superwoman, I suppose," Kelly said with a chuckle. "But you really think she'll be doing better?"

"I'll bet on it," Preston said. "If Sarah isn't better, I'll do all your homework for a month."

"You've got a bet," Kelly smiled.


	3. Shared Troubles

It was just a few bites of toast but Sarah did keep something down. And it was just the front porch, but Sarah was outside of the house. Despite her initial protests, she did have to admit to feeling a little better now.

She was on the bench on the porch. Serena was sitting next to her. There was no pressure to talk, so it was mostly silent. Sarah liked that, but it was started to feel a little awkward.

"Are your parents still alive?" she asked Serena. The white Ranger nodded.

"They are."

"Oh."

"I'm on my own now," Serena said. "I mean, I still love and need them, but a lot of the fears you have right now wouldn't be a concern for me."

"Like Kathryn?" Sarah asked. Serena turned to her with a curious frown. "My birth mom."

"The prostitute?"

"Yeah."

"In prison?"

"Yeah."

"What's scary about her?" Serena asked.

"She'll get custody over Shane. If she finds out and fights…"

"She doesn't have rights," Serena reminded Sarah. "That's how Jenny adopted you in the first place."

"I know… but now that Jenny's gone… what if she tries again?"

"I mean, she can fight for custody, but I don't see what that would do," Serena said. "She's in prison. It's not like they'll make you stay with her if she were to win. And you'll be eighteen soon."

"I guess."

"Besides, you're with Shane. He's who you and Jenny chose, together, and he's where you'll stay. Anyone who tries anything different will have to go through him, then me."

"You're right," Sarah said, and Serena nodded her head.

"I am, but it's okay to wonder about this stuff. I'd rather you talk about it, with anyone, than just let it sit. Thoughts are scarier when you trap them in your head."

"Like the thought that this is my fault?"

"What do you mean?"

"This all started because of my holo-clones. Because I didn't just think…"

"Okay, first of all, you never intended for this to happen."

"Neither did dad."

"Yeah, but you fixed your problem," Serena said. "I mean, sure, there are steps you could have taken to prevent it, but we all make mistakes. Your father chose to work for Oedius and your mother insisted she wanted to say goodbye. Those were choices they made for themselves."

"But if I had just…"

"If I had just gone to see the doctor, Emily never would have taken my place as the yellow Samurai Ranger," Serena said. "Monkey – that's what she named our folding Ape Zord – would have had to make do with me, even though she clearly loved Emily more. And the team that needed someone like Emily, they would have had to deal with me. If I had just seen the doctor, they could have had a stronger Samurai but… who knows if we really would have been better off. Who knows why we're flawed and why we make mistakes. We just do, and sometimes it bites us in the ass, but this world does have a funny way of righting itself in the end."

"How does my parents dying come out right?" Sarah asked. "How can this be the best thing to happen?"

"I don't know," Serena shrugged. "But I didn't say this was the best thing. I just said that the world rights itself. You've been dealt a shitty hand, between your dad, your girlfriend and your mother but maybe there's something good waiting for you around the corner."

"Without mom?"

"You're talking about her like she's gone," Serena said. Sarah gave her a funny look.

"She's dead."

"My brother in-law was dead once," Serena said. "Gia's father was dead, but he's still with her. She swears he's helped her out of some tough moments. Same with Ms. Chesterfield."

"Who?"

"The vice-principal at Harwood. The one who hired me specifically to help Gia. They grew close. Gia named her daughter after her."

"Really?"

"She died too, but Gia swears she's still helped her. People die but I don't think they're ever really… gone."

"Like, afterlife?"

"If you believe that," Serena nodded. "My family was pretty religious and I know I still am, so I definitely do but… even if you don't…"

"Don't talk about conservation of energy…"

"Not even going there," Serena shook her head. "You've known your mother for… what, eight years now? Almost half your life?"

"Nine years. More than half."

"So she's had a lot of time to influence you," Serena said. "Leave you with some memories? Instill some of her wisdom?"

"I guess…"

"So you're telling me, while you were up in that bathroom, puking your guts out, refusing to get some fresh air, you never once heard her voice in your head telling you to maybe listen to the pretty blonde sitting next to you?"

"I… I knew she wouldn't want me to stay in the bathroom all day," Sarah admitted.

"Every decision you make is going to be influenced in some way by her," Serena said. "Every moment in your life that means something, no matter how significant, you'll think of her. You'll carry your mother and all the memories you made with you for the rest of your life. She might not be here physically, but… before you were worried that getting up, getting on with your life would make it feel like she never existed, that's not true. She'll be everywhere."

"You think so?"

"My mother isn't even dead and I hear her voice nagging me in the back of my head," Serena chuckled. "Hell, I've got Ji's voice in the back of my head, he isn't even my dad! The people you love will always be with you."

Sarah nodded her head. It did make sense, in a way, and while it was hard sometimes to think of her mother or her father, she did still feel them.

As she smiled at the thought, Kelly was making her way back from school. Sarah was surprised to see her coming home alone, but she was very happy to see her girlfriend again. As Kelly rolled onto the driveway, Sarah got up and stepped off the porch. Serena noticed this and couldn't help but smile to herself.

"You're home," Sarah said to Kelly, who looked to her girlfriend happily, but surprised.

"You're up?"

"The bathroom was starting to smell a little… pukey," Sarah said. "Serena suggested some fresh air."

"How are you feeling?"

"Better… a bit," Sarah said. "Definitely better now that you're home. How was your first day?"

"It… It was pretty good, actually," Kelly smiled. She couldn't remember what she had been worried about, not after seeing Sarah was doing better. "I was only a few minutes late to all my classes, and the guys were a huge help. Even everyone at school was pretty cool. I think once they get used to the wheelchair, they'll know to step out of the way and I might be able to make it to classes on time."

"So it wasn't bad without me?" Sarah asked. "I felt a little bad after you left."

"I would have preferred to have you there," Kelly told her. "But I know why you stayed home."

"I'll try to make it tomorrow," Sarah promised.


	4. Overcoming

Sarah woke up in a cold sweat, though it was better than the nightmare she woke from. Like most nights, she saw her parents again, but they were back at the Romero workshop. Sarah tried to reason with her father, who wouldn't listen, and she would try to ask her mother to leave, but Jenny would stay. As always, Oedius would show up and there was nothing she could do to stop the explosion or her parents dying.

She felt the panic build up and tried to supress it. She had promised Kelly, who was laying right next to her, that she would try to make it to school in the morning. Her anxiety over moving on with her life without her mother had prevented her from going to school the day before, and she didn't want to let her girlfriend down twice.

She remembered what Serena said the day before. When people died, they weren't really gone. Sarah still had the memories of her parents, of her mother. She had her mother's voice and her lessons in her head still. Jenny would be with her for the rest of her life, Sarah just couldn't see her anymore.

That worked a little to calm her down. Sarah didn't feel like she had to rush off to the bathroom anymore, but she was still nervous about school. She didn't want anyone's pity, or sympathy, or to hear people saying how sorry they were for her. She didn't want to receive those _"poor girl"_ looks in the hallways. She didn't want her teacher to softball some lessons for her, thinking that her grief would make her a little less smart. If she returned to school, she wanted things to go back to normal.

She wanted her mother back.

She felt the wave of nausea hit again and finally had to race to the bathroom. The more she thought about her mother, the sicker she felt. She hugged the toilet as she puked up her dinner, or the few bites she had eaten.

Now she wanted her mother, and she was going to disappoint Kelly.

Shane, who had been on high alert since the morning, heard someone rushing to the bathroom and knocked on the door to check up on whoever it was. Sarah called to him that it was open. He sat down next to her and helped her hold her hair back as she puked.

"I miss her too," he told her. Serena had spent the day before with Sarah and Shane had watched how she interacted with his niece. He wanted to know how to help her and he had noticed that Serena would often get Sarah talking by starting the conversation off a bit indirectly. She didn't need to ask what was wrong, because that was obvious, so she would state something. "I mean, she was my big sister, so she was mostly annoying, but… that's the stuff you miss, you know?"

Sarah flushed the toilet and leaned back against the tub. She nodded to her uncle.

"I remember," Shane continued. "I was little, probably around eleven, and I wanted this cool new skateboard. The wheels were red and… actually… I don't remember much about it at all," he chuckled. "All I really remember is how badly I wanted it, and how much I loved it."

"Was it your first?" Sarah asked.

"No," Shane shook his head. "My second. My first was a hand-me-down from my cousin. But this would be the first board I had that was only mine. I ask my parents if they could buy it for me. You know what they said?"

"You have to earn it?"

"Yep," Shane chuckled. His parents were good parents, and he loved them dearly, but his father, especially, could be a little tough. Growing up, Shane was never really handed anything, especially the older he got. Like most kids, he had to do chores to receive his allowance and when he wanted something, he would have to save for it. Birthdays and Christmases, he received mostly practical gifts. If he wanted something like a skateboard, he would have to save up the money for it himself, then find a way to get to the store himself to buy it. It didn't matter if he was sixteen and could take the family car (which he would then have to fill up the gas before he returned it) or if he was ten and had to hope his older siblings, or his parents, would have the time to drive him to the store.

"So you did your chores?"

"Nah," Shane shook his head. "The allowance was a joke. I'd have to wait months before I saved up enough money. I'd need money to cover the bus ticket too. Not much of an added expense, but still."

"So what did you do?"

"I had no idea how I could earn money faster. I asked Porter and Jenny if I could take over some of their chores for a few months…"

"A few months?"

"I told you, the allowance was a joke. Maybe that's why I do so well on a Sensei's salary," Shane chuckled. "Anyways, Porter refused. He had his own things to pay for. He had started dating, so if he stopped getting an allowance, he wouldn't have that extra pocket money to take girls on dates."

"Didn't he have a job?"

"Dude, Porter's been working and rich since he discovered what money could do," Shane chuckled. "I swear, he was selling off his toys to buy his own diapers."

Sarah chuckled. Shane knew he was doing something right. At the very least, he had taken her mind off whatever it was that was worrying her.

"So, anyways, Porter outright refused to let me take over his chores and Jenny kind of had the same problem. She didn't have a job yet so the only way she made money was with her chores. I thought for sure I'd be stuck waiting months for this board, and I was so worried they might stop selling it or that by the time I got it, it wouldn't be cool anymore."

"So what did you do?"

"Me? I kind of sulked that things weren't fair. That the only thing I had ever asked my parents for was a skateboard and they weren't nice enough to help out. Porter thought I was spoiled, my parents didn't let it bother them, but your mother kind of fell for it, in a good way."

"She did?"

"She made a bit more money that I did from her chores, since she had more responsibility. And she wasn't dating yet, and she wasn't much of a mall person, so she always had a few extra bucks."

"She loaned you the money?"

"Do you think your mother would loan me money?" Shane frowned. "I was eleven, I didn't know what a loan was. Do you trust an eleven year old to pay you back?"

"I would have."

"Right, I forgot you were the perfect kid," Shane chuckled. "Anyways, your mother used some of her allowance money to buy some lemons and sugar."

"Lemonade?"

"She suggested we start a lemonade stand. She would help me make it and sell it, but I could keep all the money. I thought for sure it was a trick. See, I hate just farted into her hat the other day…"

"You what?"

"Don't give me that look," Shane frowned. "She started it. She had started playing music way too loud in her room and it was those god-awful boy bands that I couldn't stand. I asked her to turn it down and she told me where to shove it. Classic big sis little bro stuff."

"Wow."

"Yeah, so I farted in her hat and still, when she knew I needed help, she swooped in. We opened a lemonade stand at the skatepark and charged people about a buck a drink. Your mother explained how we were saving up for a skateboard and the guys there were really cool about helping out. I think everyone bought at least two glasses. By the end of the day, I had enough money for a new board and a new helmet."

"Much have been a popular place."

"It was," Shane smiled. "Jenny walked me to the store at the end of the day. The skatepark was closed, so I would have to wait to try it out, but at least I had it now."

"Did you get the helmet?"

"Nah," Shane shook his head. "I thought about it, but mine was still in good condition, and it was pretty cool still. So instead, I took your mother out to get milkshakes."

"That's sweet."

"She helped me out first," Shane said. "In fact, now that I think of it, even though we really annoyed each other, growing up, she was always there for me. She didn't push me around too much like Porter did, or look down on me like he did…"

"Porter's a tough guy, huh?"

"I'll say. I mean, we're cool now but we were so different growing up," Shane chuckled. "It was your mother I could always count on for a helping hand. I'm going to miss that."

"Me too," Sarah confessed just as there was a knock on the door. She looked over to see Kelly.

"Are you too sick?" the green Ranger asked. Sarah looked to the toilet and touched her stomach. The thought of going to school still upset her, but she had promised Kelly she would try and she was feeling a little better.

"I'll brush my teeth. Meet you downstairs?" she suggested. Kelly smiled, then looked to Shane.

"Can I get a hand?"

Shane nodded as he got up from the bathroom floor. He pulled Kelly onto his back, asked her to hold him tight and started to make his way down the stairs with her and the chair.

"As much as I'd hate to sell this place and mine, I'm considering doing so and getting a one story," he told her.

"You are?" Kelly asked him. Shane stepped off the last stair and helped Kelly back into her chair.

"Well, you're sticking around. Seems pretty stupid to have you sleep upstairs and depend on someone to bring you up and down every day."

"What if I get better?"

"It would be a while still before stairs are comfortable and besides, one story houses are less to clean."

"A whole floor less."

"Exactly, and if I'm going to be Mr. Mom now, I'd like to have less to clean."

"Mr. Mom?"

"Don't start calling me that."

"Too late, Mr. Mom," Kelly chuckled.


	5. Mentor Talks

This wasn't the first time Sarah had been to school without a parent. She remembered it was hard after losing her father to move on. With Jenny still around though, it seemed easier. When she went home, she still had a parent around, so things could feel half-normal.

Now that both her parents were gone, everything felt upside-down. She was lucky that she had Hayley and Kelly who understood her position very well. Having just lost their mother, they knew all about the anxiety and the stares and the pitiful looks. Fortunately for Sarah, they were removed enough from their own loss that they could be helpful in helping her conquer all that. Unfortunately, even with their help, and even with the support of her friends, Sarah still felt lonely. Her focus was off in math, her passion for science was gone and English had been a complete disaster. As Sarah put her books back in her locker and tried to prepare herself for lunch, she couldn't help but feel like she would never get the hang of living her life again.

"I've talked with Mrs. Finch," Serena said as she approached the pink Ranger. It was completely expected for Sarah to need time to readjust to school, but this wasn't the first time she had returned after a tragedy. While there was time needed to recover and while her grades always slipped a little, this first day had been such a painful disaster that it had everyone concerned. "She's assured me that for the week, it'll just be busy work. Pop quizzes and that kind of stuff aren't going to be marked. We'll see how it goes next week."

"Maybe dropping out would be best," Sarah muttered. "I can get a job selling Fro-Yo or something…"

"It hasn't been that bad…" Serena said, but Sarah glared up at her insultingly. Serena sighed. "Okay, today was a disaster…"

"A train wreck."

"But no one expected you to do well," Serena shrugged. "I mean, we all knew this was going to take time."

"I forgot how to read and write, and I bounced back faster than this."

"Yeah, because we could work without those skills," Serena said.

"Being orphaned doesn't change how good I am in math and yet, somehow, I can barely do addition without breaking down in tears. And don't even get me started on science…"

"It's just an adjustment."

"But I hate it!" Sarah shouted and slammed her locker shut. If her voice hadn't been loud enough to draw attention, the crash of her locker door closing sure was. "At least all that other crap, when it happened, I could count on school. Now I barely fit in!"

"Sarah…"

"And after a shitty day, I get to go home, where I'll be reminded that my parents, _both_ my parents, are dead! I'm never going to see them again. I'm never going to have that family again."

"It's hard, I know…"

"You don't know!" Sarah shouted. "You have no idea because you've never lost a parent."

"Sarah…"

"Just… leave me alone," Sarah said as she stormed off. Serena thought about following her, but right now she knew Sarah was angry and she had chosen to take that anger out on her. Seeing Serena following her down the hall would likely just infuriate her more.

"I take it she's had a rough morning?" Mick asked as he came up behind Serena. He hadn't seen Sarah at all yet at school but knew she had come back. He figured now that it was lunch, he would take this time to see how the day went. He would be her last teacher of the day and while he knew everything that was going on because he was her Ranger mentor, he still needed the hourly or so update as her teacher.

"She's flunking basic math," Serena said and took out from her pocket the worksheet that she and Sarah had done that morning. "I mean, I know it's going to be rough going but Sarah would never perform this badly on her worst day."

"It is a lot to get used to," Mick told her. "When I was taken from my parents, I know I had a lot of adjusting to do. My worst days now would have been my absolute best days on Galvanax' ship, even after meeting Brody and RedBot."

"You lost your parents?"

"I was taken," Mick nodded his head. "Kidnapped, I guess, and taken galaxies away from my home. I still haven't been back, and it's been over twenty years now."

"That's rough," Serena said.

"There were weeks I thought about ending it," Mick said, then turned to Serena, "My life, I mean."

"I got that," Serena nodded, but felt something bubble inside her stomach. Sarah hadn't given her the impression she was considering suicide but now that Mick had mentioned it, she couldn't help but worry. Things would get worse for Sarah before they got better. It was just the way of life. Now Serena had to worry that Sarah might consider something drastic if life didn't give her a bit of a break.

"I didn't because I was a slave," Mick said. "We were often supervised or left with nothing, so there weren't too many opportunities for me to try something. Then I met Brody and… I couldn't leave him alone."

"I know," Serena said, then turned to Mick. "Maybe you should talk to her. She's kind of pissed at me. I think she just needs to blame me for today, so she might listen to you."

"I could give it a shot," Mick nodded. "Do you know where she went?"

"Not sure, but she was wearing her communicator."

-Ninja-Steel-

Sarah wasn't sure where to go after she left school. As much as she loved Summer Cove, and while she did consider it to be her home, she was still new to the city. Her Ranger training and school work kept her rather busy and so she didn't get many chances to see the sights. All she knew that was special about Summer Cove was the Ribbon Tree. There, at least, she knew she could be alone.

With her hoverboard she made the trek to the tree. The last time she had been was with Brody and Aiden, when Aiden revealed himself as a threat and almost killed her. It seemed befitting. To mourn the parents she lost, she would go to the place where she almost died.

She was sure she was alone and so set her hoverboard down at the base of the tree. As she began to climb, she heard Mick calling out, asking that she wait up for him. Sighing because she had been found, Sarah dropped back to the ground and waited for her mentor to catch up.

"Aren't you missing school?" she asked him. Mick huffed and puffed as he arrived at the tree, then as he tried to catch his breath, he looked to her.

"I could ask you the same question."

"I'm just going to flunk out."

"You're the school's top student," Mick told her. "I probably shouldn't even be telling you that, but your grades are still far above nearly everyone else's. You've even got a few points on Monty."

"So?"

"You could flunk the rest of the year and still pass with honours," Mick told her.

"So, there's no point in attending anyway."

"You love school."

"Mick…"

"I'm no there to convince you to go back," Mick said. "You came to school, I think we can all understand if you need to duck out early. That isn't why I followed you."

"So then why are you here?"

"I wanted to check up on you," Mick said. He sat down at the base of the tree and invited Sarah to take the spot next to him. Sighing, she lowered herself onto the grass and leaned back against the tree. "I know what it's like to have your parents ripped away from you. It's not something you ever get used to."

"Mick…"

"You've lost your dad twice now," Mick said. "Your mother once. I've lost both my parents and the one time it happened, I didn't know how to cope."

"So, you want to share sob stories?"

"Last time you lost a parent, you and I travelled back in time to save him," Mick reminded Sarah. "We nearly got ourselves killed trying to save a man who was dying."

"That man was my father, and if you hadn't of let him die…"

"I had to make a choice, Sarah."

"Even if he died, we could have brought him back. Oedius couldn't have used him against us and…" Sarah hadn't really considered the implications before. Not until Mick brought up the time travel. He had let her father die. While Sarah knew deep down her father was a dead man walking, she always blamed Mick for his death. She believed there was a chance that if they brought him home, they could have helped him. Now, the circumstances surrounding his and her mother's deaths all revolved around that one issue. Even if her father would have died, he would have died away from Oedius. While his life wouldn't have been saved, her mother would still be here.

"Your father made his choice," Mick reminded her, but he knew there would be no convincing her. He had made a choice for her, in her absence. Unless she created another time machine to witness the conversation he had with her father, Sarah would never truly know what went down. He had already accepted that she would always see him as the villain in that story.

"But you…"

"We couldn't get to safety, not with him," Mick said, then shook his head. "But that's not what I meant. Sarah, your father made his choice when he sided with Oedius. Whatever his reasons, whether they were justified or mad, he chose to do as she asked. He chose his risks. What happened to your mother as a result…"

Sarah started to sob. If Mick hadn't already known she was on edge, it would have caught him by surprise. He looked to her as she wiped her eyes.

"You miss her, don't you?" Mick asked, and Sarah nodded.

"I miss them both," she said. "But… I've grieved for dad and even when he came back… he just made me so angry. I chose never to see him again. I made peace with that. Mom…"

Sarah barely choked out her words. Mick put his arm around her as he waited patiently for her to speak.

"Mom… she didn't… mom didn't deserve that," Sarah said. "She wasn't a P-P-Power Ranger. S-She… She just came to say goodbye."

"You miss her most?" Mick asked. Sarah started to shake her head. She didn't want to admit it. Mick could tell she was lying.

"You know, I was taken from my parents when I was young," Mick said. "I grew up on Galvanax' ship, like Brody."

"Mick…"

"Hear me out," Mick insisted. "Now, I loved both my parents very much. Equally, you might say. They were your typical parents. My father worked hard to provide. He was gone in the mornings when I got up, but home around dinner time so he could be with me and mom. I admired him so much as I boy; I knew I wanted to be just like him. He was tough, definitely rough around the edge but he was still so loving. Mom… I can't say enough good things about my mom. She always put me first. Whenever I was hurt, or scared, or worried, just knowing my mother was there in the room with me was enough to make me feel better. Her touch could heal the worst pain and was so soft, so gentle… I can't transform into anything that could replicate the feeling of being held and loved by my mother."

"I don't see the lesson yet," Sarah said, knowing Mick could have a backwards way of teaching her and the other Rangers life lessons. Mick shook his head.

"Some days," he continued, "I miss my father more. I might barely think of my mother, but I can't get the pain I feel over losing my dad out of my head. Those are usually the days where I feel… helpless," he looked to Sarah with a smile. "For instance, the day you and the others were kidnapped by Galvanax, and it was just me and Brody… Boy, did I miss my dad on that day. There wasn't really time to grieve but… if you could be inside this head, you would know."

"Mick…"

"Right," Mick nodded and continued. "My father always knew what to do when there was a problem. And he was so brave, so strong and so bright, it seemed like there wasn't a problem he couldn't fix. On tough days like that, I miss him the most."

"You were close with your dad?"

"I was, but not more so than with my mother," Mick said. "And speaking of, on the flip side, there are days I miss my mom more. I find those days are usually… trying. It's not necessarily when I feel helpless but… kind of similar. Someone I know is in a lot of pain and… I don't know how to make them better. Take, for instance, the day we time travelled. When I made that… decision, I knew you were going to be mad. Just like how my mother used to have to put up with me being mad at her, for whatever reason, I knew I would have to tolerate your anger. Worse than that, I knew I might have to act as a bit of a…"

"Punching bag?" Sarah asked with a little wince, recalling that day. Mick nodded.

"There wasn't anything you could do to me that day that would make me feel worse than how I felt for you," Mick told her. "I knew the pain you were in and… there wasn't anything I could do to take that pain away. Mom would always hold me in her arms, sing softly and it would help but… I'm not my mother. I missed her again the day you died, when you trashed the base."

Sarah looked to Mick painfully as she recalled that moment. They hadn't spoke about either of the two incidents since they happened. Mick had forgiven Sarah and Sarah had been too humiliated to bring them up.

"My mom would have known what to do, or what to say to help you calm down, before it got violent," Mick said. "You would have loved her, Sarah. In fact, Jenny reminded me of my mother in the way she treated you."

"Mick, I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," Mick shook his head again and smiled. "You have had some tough times lately. Jenny's been there with you, through all of it. This is one of those times you might need her love and her guidance and it's not there. You can miss her, and it doesn't take anything away from how much you might also miss your father."

"He took me in, Mick. Raised me, gave me everything…"

"You learned to live without him a long time ago," Mick reminded her. "You've grieved, and while you might have to do it again, it won't be as hard as living without your mother for the first time in…"

"I barely remember a time she wasn't at least around," Sarah said.

"You're going through a lot. Don't add guilt to the list of feelings you'll have to process. Your father made his own choices. He is responsible for what happened to himself and to his family as a result. That includes you and your mother."

"It's hard, Mick."

"I know."

"Kelly and Hayley say it gets easier," Sarah said. "And I've been here before and I know it did once. It's just…"

"It feels like it's never going to get better?" Mick asked. "You feel like you're never going to be happy again?"

"It hurts too much," Sarah nodded. Mick wrapped his arms around her tight and kissed the top of her head.

"I know exactly what that's like," he said.


	6. Hurt and Help

Shane remembered Jenny's panicked phone calls after Bill died. She had never expected to be a full-time mother and suddenly found herself in the position, with little support being offered. He remembered telling her she would figure it out, and that if she did the best that she could, with good intentions, she would be a good mother.

What kind of bullshit was that?

He struggled. From the day he knew he would have to be Sarah's legal guardian, he had struggled greatly with the parental role. He had Aaron, who he lived with, who could help and offer advice on being a father, but there was really nothing anyone could do or say that would help him worry less about everything. He even phoned his own brother, and his parents, asking for advice, and while it all seemed good and useful, the worry never went away.

Jenny never wanted to be a mother. Everyone who knew her knew that, even Sarah. But somehow, young Sarah wormed her way into her mother's heart and as she grew older, so did Jenny's love for her. Sarah had somehow become his sister's most precious thing. All Shane felt he could do to honour his sister was to look after the person she cared for most. He would be damned if he didn't do a good job.

But damn, it was hard!

Tori and Dustin were over for a visit. Aaron was at work and the girls were at school. Shane was still on leave from the Academy as he tried to figure out his new life and so his days could be rather lonely. Since their schedules weren't too busy, Tori and Dustin took the day off to be with him and offer some much-needed company and support.

"I'm the only one without a kid now," Dustin said. "I mean, of the three of us, I don't have a child. Who would have thought."

"Both of us," Tori answered, and Shane nodded along in agreement. "We both figured you would be the last one."

"Yeah, okay but… yeah," Dustin agreed as he sat down on the sofa. He looked to a family picture of the Thompsons. There were many of them sitting around – more than Dustin felt was necessary. He assumed that had been dug out of storage because of the death. He had been at the wake for Jenny and there had been a lot of pictures out then. He was certain there were more now. He wondered if, maybe, Sarah and Shane were using them to ensure they didn't forget the faces of the people they loved. "So… what's it like having a teenager?"

"Yes, please share," Tori added. Shane shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't think this is a typical experience."

"I want to be ready for anything," Tori told him. "Time flies and before you know it, Kaylee's going to be emotional and dramatic and… all that stuff."

"Sarah's a good kid," Shane said. "Jenny and Bill did something right. I just wish I knew what."

"Parenting is hard?" Dustin asked.

"I don't even feel like I've started parenting," Shane shrugged. "I mean, yesterday, Sarah was just sitting on the bathroom floor, throwing up, and the only thing I could do that felt even remotely like helping was holding her hair back. Jenny would have known what to do or say for sure."

"Was she sick?"

"It was supposed to be her first day back yesterday," Shane said. "I think she worked herself up a bit too much and made herself sick."

"But you were there?" Tori asked. "On the bathroom floor?"

"For a while, yeah," Shane nodded. "Until I had to call for help because nothing worked and… what?" Shane interrupted himself when he saw Tori smirking and very obviously trying to hold back a laugh.

"You're such a dad," she said. "Blake freaks out anytime one of the kids is sick! I swear, he works himself into a panic over nothing."

"It wasn't nothing," Shane frowned.

"No, it wasn't," Tori assured him. "But not knowing what to do, every dad has that. Every parent has it. Do you have any idea how many times I called the pediatrician? I swear, her husband chewed me out, saying she and I spoke more than she and he did and that calls at three AM about stool colour were not appropriate."

"And Tor's a good mom," Dustin added.

"I just wish there was more I knew how to do already," Shane said. "It would have been easier to have nine months to prepare and then have the kid and their problems grow with me, instead of being thrown into the deep end."

"Want advice?" Tori asked, and Shane nodded eagerly. No advice had helped him feel better about being a new parent, but he was hopeful the right advice was still out there. Tori looked to him, very seriously, and just as if she was spilling a long-kept Academy secret, she whispered to Shane, "There's never a shallow end."

"What?"

"Anyone who has ever had to care for a child for any length of time has always been thrown straight into the deep end. I'm in the deep end every single day. As soon as you get something mastered, the kid grows and suddenly, you're a newbie all over again. It's exhausting and heart-breaking and extremely discouraging, but you start all over again despite all that because you love the little monster."

"Do you love Sarah?" Dustin asked. Shane looked to him, slightly offended.

"Dude, she's my niece. Of course, I love her. She's all I've got left of my sister and she's just… this amazing person."

"So, then what's scary about it?" Dustin asked. "This parenting thing and the deep-end and all of that?"

"Screwing up."

"Your parents never screwed up?" Dustin asked with a frown, knowing that couldn't be true. Shane's parents, while they always seemed to have it together, would drive the red Ranger up the wall. Dustin had to listen to Shane venting and ranting about how his parents were too harsh, too tough, or how they didn't _"get"_ him.

"I mean, they weren't perfect but…"

"And you turned out fine, right?" Dustin asked. "I mean… mostly fine."

"Dude!"

"Dude," Dustin responded, then shook his head. "I swear, my parents did everything wrong sometimes and I still love 'em. Dad and I still talk everyday on the phone."

"Does Sarah know how hard you're trying?" Tori asked Shane, who shrugged his shoulders. "I don't mean you're telling her everyday how hard you have it or how much you're trying but, you are there when she needs you, right? Even if you're clueless and in over your head, you've been there, right?"

"Yeah. I make sure I am," Shane nodded.

"Sounds like a good dad to me," Dustin said.

"You'll figure it out," Tori promised Shane, "And then Sarah will change the game on you all over again and you'll still figure it out. And then…"

"I get it. I'm always drowning."

"Keeping your head above water is good parenting," Tori smiled. "Loving everything about it, even when you kind of want to strangle them, is successful parenting."

"It's hard when I miss Jenny too, though," Shane said. "But I feel like mother trumps sister so…"

"You can talk to Sarah about that stuff," Dustin said. "You remember after Sensei died and we avoided mentioning him to Cam? You remember he later chewed our heads off because he thought we didn't care that Sensei had died or whatever."

"Yeah…"

"And you can always talk to us about it," Tori reminded him. "If Sarah's having a rough day and you just miss your sister, give us a call."

"Cam's super flexible about giving us time to help you out," Dustin said. "If you feel we're having a rough day and want to play up the grief… OW!"

"Not appropriate!"

"I'm just saying," Dustin muttered as he rubbed the spot on his arm where Tori had pinched him. "We could use the break too."

"I'll try to time it right for you, Dustin," Shane chuckled.

"That's all I'm asking."

-Ninja-Steel-

As school came to an end, Kelly shut the door to her locker. All things considered, today was a good day for her. She had only been late to her morning class, as more of the students around the school were adapting to clearing a path for her in the hallway. Navigating the school had always been difficult, given so many people were all headed in different directions at the same time, but the chair seemed to increase the difficulty simply because she needed more room to move and since the chair was heavier, she really didn't want to accidently roll on anyone's toes and crush them.

So, getting to class on time meant things were improving. And Sarah had come to school with her that morning as well, so there was that. However, Kelly still wasn't feeling right at the end of the day. Sarah had left at lunch and while Serena had assured Kelly and the other Rangers that Mick was taking care of her, Kelly wished there was more she could do.

She had never had to comfort anyone before Sarah. Her parents, well, they were her parents. It wasn't her job to make them feel better. Her friends at her old school had all been fake and the drama surrounding them had been… well, overdramatic. Her old friends never had real problems. So, a boy wouldn't text them back? Big deal. So, the cafeteria wasn't serving the good fries? Big whoop. Those girls never really needed a shoulder to cry on. Kelly's ability to truly help someone in need had been hindered because of never being needed, and eventually, not being wanted.

Sarah was the first person Kelly met who had real problems. Kelly had to learn to be comforting, and how to cope with her own stress when someone she cared for was hurt, and there was little she could do to help. She had taken some advice from Hayley, since the white Ranger was already in a strong, loving relationship that had seen a few bumps both in and outside of the relationship. From there, Kelly had learned what she needed to do to be the person Sarah could always depend on. She learned Sarah often just needed someone to sit with her and put up with the emotions. She needed someone she didn't have to worry would turn around and leave her when things were tough.

Kelly would always be that person for Sarah, but right now, she wasn't that person that Sarah needed. Jenny had played that role for the pink Ranger as well, but with the bonus of having that motherly bond with Sarah that Kelly would never have. Having lost two mothers, Kelly knew what that absence felt like and it was heart-wrenching. The unconditional love, support, and guidance that Sarah would need for the rest of her adult life had been cut short and the pink Ranger would have to make do with the limited experience Jenny had shared with her. Likewise, Kelly only had a mother like Anne for a short time and felt completely ripped off that there was experience and love that she would no longer receive. It was desperately needed and yet, there would never be another person who could provide her with it.

Kelly thought maybe, since she had lost Anne only a short time before Sarah lost Jenny, that maybe she could help. Maybe she could offer advice and the girls could learn to lean on each other. They could figure out the motherless world together. Unfortunately, Sarah was having a much harder time with her grief than Kelly had, and it pained the green Ranger that she didn't know how to help. She couldn't be that person who would just sit and listen because right now, Sarah needed that person to be her mother.

"You coming?" Brody asked. Kelly looked up from her locker and realized she had been staring at it for a while. Brody looked to her with some concern. "You okay?"

"Just… worried."

"About Sarah?"

"I wish she hadn't left school," Kelly nodded. "I wish there was something I could do."

"She'll come back," Brody said. "The hard part's over. You got her here. And she lasted most of the day."

"I know. And I know it gets a little better over time but… it's hard to see someone you love hurting."

"I know." Brody leaned against the lockers.

"What helped you?" Kelly asked. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

"With what?"

"When your mother died."

"The fact that I was two was a pretty good help," Brody said. "I mean, I barely remember her at all. I know I had a tough time with it but life kind of moved on a little easier. Dad was always there."

"After you lost your dad?"

"Being a prisoner kind of kept my mind off that a lot of the time. Otherwise, Mick really helped," Brody said. "He was pretty good at just talking about feelings and stuff and seemed to understand when I needed his advice and when I just needed a good cry. Serena said he's with Sarah now. I'm sure he's doing the same with her."

"I wish I knew how to do that."

"You do," Brody said and offered Kelly a sincere smile. "Sarah loves you and she came to school for you. Somehow, whether you know it or not, you made this easier for her. She came to school for you. She sat through all those classes with you. You were there for her. It's just right now, she needs someone else too. It's good that she's reaching out to other people… even if they reach out to her. Once this passes it'll help her remember she's not alone. She had people supporting her the whole time. And you're still grieving Mrs. Foster. At least now you know, if you're having a bad day, there are other people around who can deal with Sarah. You two might want to be each other's whole world, but it's good that you aren't. I think that's the mistake dad made with us. After mom died, our family was everything to each other. When I lost that, I had no idea what to do with myself. I was lucky to find Mick. I was lucky he reached out. I'd be dead without him."

"Can I still wish I could do more?"

"We all do," Brody assured her with a nod. "Letting her process her feelings, with whoever she'll listen to and whoever can help, might be the best thing you can do."

"You're right. You have to be."

"I hope so. I hope this all gets better soon. We need the team at full strength again."

"Speaking of… I don't want to just come to training," Kelly said as she looked up at Brody, "I want to learn to fight, even if it's just the basics of self-defence. Oedius has taken so much from me and the people I love. Next time I see her, I want to kick her ass."

"Today might be a good day to get back into it," Brody smiled. "Mick's still out with Sarah and Dad's cleaning up after the explosion still. Serena offered to pick up training and she said she knows a few things you can do in the chair to protect yourself. Are you sure you're ready, though?"

"Positive," Kelly nodded. "I just might need a little help getting dressed for training. I haven't quite figured out pants yet."

"Maybe we'll find Hayley and see if she can help," Brody chuckled.


	7. Finishing The Job

It wasn't often her bosses called her. The reason they hired her was because they knew they could trust her to do the job and do it right. The occasional check in was expected, but otherwise, Wes and Eric often left her alone.

"I know Summer Cove isn't technically on my patrol list," Gia explained to Wes as she sat in her office and rolled her eyes. Rebecca, on the other side of the room, could tell from the tone in Gia's voice that she was irritated. Wes always meant well when he checked in, but Gia never liked being babysat. "I know I have officers who can cover it, but with Oedius in town, I really think being a Ranger on patrol is comforting to everyone."

" _Your patrols center around one kid, Gia."_

"That kid just lost both parents," Gia said. "Oedius is targeting her and the other Rangers and if word gets out that she killed someone else, the whole city's bound to riot. I'm a visible presence, I can help them feel like we have things under control."

" _And your other cities?"_

"I've hired more officers," Gia promised. "I assure you, security is just as tight, and people are just as safe here even with my focus on Summer Cove. You know I like to follow the monsters."

" _Leave the kid alone,"_ she heard Eric say to Wes in the background. _"We've had no complaints about this."_

" _I'm trying to prevent any from coming in."_

" _You think that's going to happen?"_

"Can you two lovers spat later?" Gia asked. "Wes, I promise, I'm on top of things here. I might be in Summer Cove, but I've got more officers at home, and Rebecca's overseeing everything they do."

"Ironic, since I can't see anything," Rebecca called out. Gia shushed her.

" _And I trust Rebecca, and I like her, but… I get serious Armada vibes from this Oedius person. I'm really worried she won't just stop at Summer Cove. If she decides she wants to spread her wings a bit, and you're busy in Summer Cove…"_

"Do you want me to tail Oedius?" Gia asked. "Because I can do that."

" _No,"_ Wes answered. _"Oedius isn't your responsibility. The cities are. As long as you're sure no one's going to suffer."_

"I'm good at my job."

" _I know. I just wouldn't be a good boss if I didn't check in,"_ Wes said, to which Gia and Eric both responded with a scoff. Wes sighed loudly over the phone at both. _"A good boss needs to know what's happening with his own company!"_

" _And we know crime is down, there are no complaints and Gia's good at her job,"_ Eric said.

"Thank you," Gia responded, causing Wes to sigh again.

"I hate it when you both team up on me," he said. "I miss Jordan."

"Me too," Gia nodded, then wished her bosses a goodnight as she hung up the phone. She sighed as she looked to Rebecca. "I hate check ins."

"Funny, because I heard several of your employees saying the same thing," Rebecca chuckled. "You may act more like Eric, but you definitely have some Wes in you too."

"Who asked you?"

"No one," Rebecca smiled. "I'm headed out. Noah should be waiting. Want a ride home?"

"I think I'll stay a little longer. I've got to make sure everything I said to Wes is true."

"Okay. See you tomorrow," Rebecca waved before taking the elevator down. Gia was left in her office alone and picked up some of the paperwork. This had been a job that Jordan used to take care of himself before his death. Gia hated all the filing and paperwork that needed to be filled out after a job and since Jordan didn't trust her not to write how idiotic and useless people were in her reports, he took care of it by himself. After his passing, Gia had to take on that load herself. Now that she had Rebecca as a partner, she got some help. Rebecca had a computer that could process speech to text, but Gia didn't think it would be fair to dump the entire load on her, especially when Rebecca didn't like paperwork either.

She really had to make sure to dot her "I"s and cross her "T"s when it came to her report about the barn explosion. Even if she hadn't been on duty, since she was the only officer who witnessed what happened, she convinced her entire department that she could take care of the follow up. After she explained what happened to Wes and Eric, they approved her taking on the investigation and the reports solo. Everything that she had written claimed that the explosion was just an accident. She never made a single mention about Oedius. She wanted it that way in case there was ever a leak of confidential information. Disgruntled employees could really harm her public image. She wanted what was confidential to match with what she shared with the public.

Her phone rang as she put away the file. Everything seemed to be in order. She answered the call and heard Sarah on the other line.

"Can I come up?"

"I'll buzz you in," Gia answered. Everyone else had gone home for the night. Emma left at the usual time, so she could be home with the kids. Whenever Gia knew she would be home late, Emma left at the end of the day and vice-versa. It was important that their kids always have a parent at home with them, and with Jordan gone and Jake away for playoffs, it was more important now that ever.

A few minutes later, the elevator door opened. Sarah stepped out.

"I couldn't go home just yet."

"So, you come all the way out to Angel Grove?"

"Shane knows I'm here."

"And Kelly?"

"She's training with Serena."

"She's started already?"

"She wants to be prepared. I told her to text me when she's on her way home. I'll leave then."

"And in the mean time you thought you'd hang out in another city?"

"Everyone's busy," Sarah said.

"Even Preston?"

"He invited me to stay at his place until Kelly came home but… I kind of hate his parents. They're… homophobic."

"Oh."

"I mean, they're trying not to be for Preston, but… I can still sense it and I don't really want to have to explain myself tonight."

"Calvin's parents?"

"I don't know them all that well and Kelly said she might be home late. She's loving training. I'd have to stay for dinner and so it'll just be a lot of awkward small talk, where no one really knows what to say."

"Brody?"

"He and Levi are helping his dad clean up the workshop. I think it's understandable why I don't want to go there."

"Right. And I guess Mick is there too?"

"He and RedBot were living there," Sarah nodded. "They're salvaging what they can."

"The HQ is definitely a good choice," Gia agreed. "You're welcome to stay. If you have homework, you can use Rebecca's desk."

"I don't, but maybe I can see if I have any ideas to work on?" Sarah asked. "On the way home, Mick said it would be a good idea to try getting back into engineering."

"You could work on a device that'll answer my boss' calls for me."

"You have bosses? I thought you were the boss."

"Of my cities," Gia nodded. "But they oversee everything. For the most part they leave me alone, but Wes likes to do check ins occasionally. They're harmless but I know what I'm doing so it is a bit annoying to have to prove it."

"Well, I won't do that, but maybe I can tinker with the idea of something to help you at work?"

"Go for it. Just don't move things around on the desk. Rebecca has it memorized, and it really throws her off when something's not where it should be."

"I'll keep everything in it's place," Sarah promised as she took her notebook from her bag. She wasn't sure how long Gia intended on staying, but the former Ranger was kind enough not to make Sarah feel pressured to leave. She kept busy while Sarah waited on the text from Kelly.

In the meantime, Sarah looked at her notebook and tried to come up with something she could build. Nothing came to mind, but she did do a few doodles. It was nothing she could build, and didn't spark any ideas, but at least Mick was right. Getting back into something she loved did make her feel a little better.

Neither of them spoke for the whole time they were working, so when Kelly texted, and Sarah's phone vibrated, it made them both jump. Sarah was quick to check it, then looked to Gia with a smile.

"Kelly's on her way home. Thanks for letting me stay."

"You're always welcome. Want me to walk you to the bus stop?"

"I've got my hoverboard in the lobby," Sarah told her. "I'll ride it home."

"In the dark?"

"It's got lights. I'm visible."

"I'll call you a cab."

"I'm fine, really."

"I'm not letting a seventeen-year-old girl ride across two cities at night on her own," Gia shook her head. "Wes just checked in today and I said everything was fine. If something happens, he'll check in way more often."

"You really hate check ins."

"I know how to do my job," Gia insisted and reached for the phone to call a cab. As she did, the phone rang. She looked to it curiously, then up at Sarah.

"Odd."

"911?"

"The police handle after hours calls," Gia shook her head. "And they don't call my office if they need help, they call my cell."

"Maybe the cab knows you were going to call," Sarah shrugged. Gia shrugged as well, then answered the call.

" _Do you know where your kids are?"_ the voice on the other end asked. Gia felt her heart sink. Emma had gone home. She was watching Ciara and Joe. They were supposed to be at home, safe and sound, tucked into their bed.

"Who is this?" she asked.

" _Did you kiss your daughter goodbye this morning?"_ the voice asked. _"Wouldn't it be a shame if today, of all days, you were too busy?"_

"What do you want?"

" _Come home. We'll talk,"_ the voice said, then hung up. Gia slammed the phone back down on the desk, grabbed her morpher and rushed for the elevator. She couldn't call it up fast enough.

"Who was it?" Sarah asked and rushed to clean up, so she could leave with Gia.

"Someone's got the kids."

"Your kids? Who would be that stupid?"

"Way too many people," Gia muttered. The elevator finally came. Gia rushed Sarah inside and it brought them down to the lobby. There, as the doors opened, they saw Oedius standing there.

It was too much of a coincidence. Gia gripped her morpher tightly.

"Where's my daughter?"

"At home, I'm assuming," Oedius said. "Safe and sound."

Her gaze shifted to Sarah.

"I was sure I had killed you. You can imagine my disappointment when, as I'm watching over the city, I see you riding around. I thought the explosion would have finished you off."

"You're going to have to try a lot harder," Sarah said.

"Don't worry, I will," Oedius smirked and the threat was too much. Gia morphed instantly, and Sarah was right behind her. Both charged at Oedius, but she flicked them away easily. "Two Rangers are too easy."

"Legendary Ranger Mode!" Gia called out and, in a flash, her Ranger suit shifted from her Super Megaforce to a team Sarah barely recognized. "Mighty Morphin!" Consumed with power, Gia rushed Oedius again and this time, Oedius couldn't flick her away.

"Neat trick," Oedius said as they locked weapons. "I have to admit; this shifting Rangers trick has taken me by surprise. But I'm nothing if not adaptable."

"And I fight better cornered," Gia told her. "The harder you try to take me down, the more I'll push back."

"Maybe you aren't my target," Oedius said. She pushed Gia back just as the yellow Ranger powered back down to her own suit. As Gia stumbled back, Oedius shifted to Sarah and charged the pink Ranger.

Sarah was ready for this. If anything, she had been waiting for this moment. Oedius was responsible for all her pain right now. If Sarah could channel that into strength, she was sure she could take on the devious fox herself.

And she did, for a moment. For a moment, she had Oedius overpowered. She revelled in that feeling and enjoyed the flash of panic on Oedius' face when she realized the pink Ranger was stronger than she anticipated. But Sarah spent too long in that moment and as she distracted herself with her own victory, Oedius took advantage. She pushed back against the pink Ranger and kicked her to the ground. Taken by surprise, Sarah couldn't cushion her fall at all and landed roughly on her back, with her head taking a hard hit against the ground.

When Sarah lay unmoving on the ground, Gia felt really fired up. Oedius had already done so much damage and now, not only had she threatened her daughter, but she had just hurt a Ranger. Gia knew never to expect the enemy to allow time for recovery, but Oedius was downright cruel in her attacks. She used Brody's brother against the Rangers, she had Jordan killed, forced Sarah's father to work for her, then killed him and Sarah's mother. She paralyzed Kelly, killed Anne, and she wasn't about to slow down.

Gia trained her blaster on Oedius after knocking the fox to the floor. It wouldn't be enough to kill Oedius, but right now, Oedius had nothing stopping her from striking again soon and Gia didn't have the strength to stop her alone. So, the yellow Ranger did everything she could to buy herself and the young team more time. She put all her power into her blaster, draining herself of the protection her Ranger suit offered, and even tapped into her life force slightly. She doubted it would kill Oedius when she had already survived an explosion herself, but it would slow her down.

If Gia didn't miss. Her aim was good, but nothing was guaranteed. As she fired, using all the power her body could provide her, she blacked out. She thought she hit Oedius, but if she hadn't, she and Sarah were dead.


	8. The Long Night

Emma's heart pounded in her chest on the dark drive to the hospital. A call in the early hours of the morning had woken her up. She knew Gia would be home late, so it was just her and the two kids at home. She had reached for her phone on the nightstand, praying that this call was just Gia letting her know she was finally on her way home.

It wasn't. Gia wouldn't be coming home. Not tonight, at least.

She was Gia's emergency contact while Jake was away, so the hospital called to let her know they had Gia. Emma rushed out of bed in a blind panic and nearly raced out the door before she remembered she had the kids and Tiger. She had to pull them out of bed and strap them into their car seats. Joe was crying. The last time he had been woken up so abruptly and placed in the car, his father had died. Emma tried to reassure him everything would be fine, but she didn't know herself, and the panic in her voice let Joe know he had a right to be worried.

Ciara was visibly upset, but she wasn't crying. She was stone-cold silent. Her expression said it all. The same thought was running through her mind. Something terrible had happened. Her aunt Emma never pulled her out of bed. Her aunt Emma was always sweet and gentle. This wasn't normal.

Emma got Tiger into the back of the truck and sped to her mothers' house. She smashed the doorbell until Claire was up, then barely explained anything to her mom as she dropped off the kids and the cat and ran out to her car. She promised her mother that once she knew more, she would call.

It was dark on the drive. It was the middle of the night, and the darkness amplified everything. Emma's heart was beating so loud, she could hear the echo. Her hands trembled so much, she couldn't drive straight. Her eyes watered to the point where she had to stop, pull over and wipe them until they were somewhat dry.

She eventually made it to the hospital and flashed her Silver Guardian badge and ID to the lady waiting at reception. Gia's career meant she needed a lot of privacy. She dealt with people who would be glad to see her hurt daily and if she wasn't careful, they could easily take advantage of her injuries or illness to get revenge. The hospital wanted to confirm Emma was who she claimed to be before they gave up any information, then told her she would have to wait until Gia was out of surgery.

Shane rushed in about an hour later in nothing but pyjama pants and an oversized shirt. They didn't match at all, so Emma assumed he had been pulled out of bed as well. Kelly was right behind him, rolling in without shoes on her feet. It seemed she couldn't be bothered losing any time. Shane did exactly what Emma did as soon as he arrived and rushed to reception. He didn't need to show ID before the lady told him what she told Emma. They would know more once Sarah was out of surgery. Shane grabbed his head in his hands, visibly panicked. He hadn't been Sarah's guardian for a full month, and already he was making hospital trips.

He sat down across from Emma while Kelly followed nervously. She shifted in her seat as she recognized the former pink Ranger and it occurred to her that Sarah had gone to visit Gia for the night. She had texted that she was on her way home, so Kelly assumed whatever happened had happened on the way. Emma's presence meant otherwise.

"Gia?" she asked and Emma looked up. She barely recognized Kelly but remembered Gia talking about a current Ranger – green – who had recently been paralyzed. Kelly's pyjamas were green, and she knew who Emma was waiting for. The pink Ranger nodded her head. "Do you know what happened?"

Emma shook her head. She hadn't bothered to ask. Knowing what happened wouldn't fix Gia.

"I don't."

Shane got up from his chair. He couldn't sit still. He walked back to reception and spoke to the lady.

"Sarah just had surgery."

"We have that on record," the woman informed him. "Everything's electronic now. It's a real time saver."

"She has a brain injury too."

"We're aware," the woman told him. "Sir, I promise, someone will be out to talk to you as soon as they can."

"I…"

"Sir, we're doing everything we can," the woman promised him. "I know it's hard, but you just have to sit and wait."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"We aren't sure," the woman said with a shrug. "The fire alarm at the Silver Guardian's HQ was tripped. The fire department showed up and there was no fire, but your niece and an officer were found on scene."

"Gia?"

"I can't share any information about the other patient," the woman said. "Confidentiality. You understand."

"Was Sarah awake?"

"Not when she arrived. She had her student ID on her, so we were able to track down her information that way."

"With the brain injury…"

"Sir, I assure you, the doctors are aware of her past and they are doing everything they can," the woman said as she gestured to the chairs. "I have calls to take and files that need sorting. I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to sit and wait."

Shane nodded. He knew she was just trying to do her job, so he obliged. He took his seat back and looked to Kelly and Emma with a sigh.

"One of them had to be awake," he said. "Someone tripped the fire alarm."

"I can ask someone to check the cameras," Emma offered and wished she had thought of that sooner. She took out her phone to call Wes. He wasn't in town, but he did have access to all the security cameras in everyt Silver Guardian HQ. He would be able to see the footage remotely.

He responded to the text almost instantly and promised he would go through the footage right away. Ten minutes later, a file was emailed to Emma. She opened it and angled her screen so the three of them could watch it at the same time.

Oedius stepped into the HQ lobby. Since Gia was still in the building, the locks were minimal, and the security alarm wasn't set yet. Oedius had no trouble as she took a seat on the couch and used what appeared to be a burner phone to make a call.

"How did she get that?" Kelly asked. Emma shrugged.

"My guess is illegally."

The footage continued. Oedius was on just a quick call then hung up the phone. She got up and stood by the elevators. Emma knew what would happen next. Gia only worked in her office and would have to come down the elevator to leave. It happened just as Emma predicted, with Sarah right behind her. They bumped into Oedius and it wasn't long before a fight broke out. Oedius was stronger by far, but it seemed like the girls held their own. Emma wasn't sure how Oedius took back the advantage on Sarah, but she did, and the younger pink Ranger hit the ground hard. Shane winced as he watched, and Kelly let out a loud gasp. Her helmet would have protected her, but when Sarah didn't move at all afterwards, they had to know there was some serious damage done.

Sarah's defeat sparked fury in Gia, as it always did when someone in her care was hurt. Emma watched her sister give her blaster all the power she had before she fired it at Oedius. Gia seemed to black out after that, her injuries mostly self-sustained, but it seemed she had done what she wanted to do. Oedius was knocked back into the wall by the front door. She crashed into it hard, and there was blood splattered around her. She lay unmoving for a second, then started to pull herself up. She was very visibly hurt and the blood pouring from her chest proved to be too much trouble. She looked to the two defeated Rangers, but couldn't find the strength to finish them off. She needed to care for herself, otherwise it would be her end.

As she pulled herself up to her feet, she grabbed whatever she could to help. Her hand reached for the fire alarm and when she pulled, the alarm went off. Once on her feet, Oedius disappeared, and the alarm tipped off the fire department. They were at HQ in mere minutes and rushed Gia and Sarah out of the building themselves.

Emma closed the file. She didn't need to watch it again. She knew everything she wanted to know. Shane grabbed his head in his hands. He had given Sarah permission to stay out so late. If he had asked her to come home, he could have protected her.

Kelly whipped her phone across the room. It was all she had to throw and all she could do to let out some of her anger. The only consolation she had was that Gia had done real damage to Oedius. For the first time, the evil fox was in real pain. It was the least she could suffer after all she had caused, but it was something.

"Family for Gia Holling?" a doctor called out and Emma rushed to see him. He pulled her aside, but they never left the room.

"Surgery was a success," he said. "We manage to close up all the wounds and there is no sign of further damage."

"She'll be okay?"

"Her leg has a small fracture, which we repaired. She won't be able to work for a few months, but it will heal. Right now, we have her sedated to help with the pain."

"Can I see her?"

"We're transferring her right now. We'll let you know once she's settled," the doctor promised. Emma let out a huge sigh of relief. The doctor added, "That heart of hers is a real-life saver. Despite all the trauma her body suffered, it continued to beat without fail. Without it, I'm sure this could have been much worse."

"Thank you," Emma said, then went back to take her seat. It would be some time still before she could see Gia, but at least she knew everything would be alright.

"So?" Shane asked, and Emma explained what the doctor said. He looked relieved, but only for a second before his worry for Sarah returned. There was still no news.

"I have to call my moms," Emma told them. "No doubt they're freaking out."

Shane let her go, then shifted his attention to Kelly. The green Ranger seemed very uncomfortable. He put a hand on her leg and squeezed it. Kelly couldn't feel it, but she saw him reaching out.

"Sarah's tough."

"So is concrete," Kelly muttered. "But give it a few good slams and even it will start to crack."

Shane nodded his head. Kelly had a point. Sarah hadn't been at her best before the attack. If anything was going to kill her, this would be it.

Emma returned later after making the call to her mothers. She told Shane and Kelly how she had been chewed out for not telling them more initially, but over all they were happy Gia was okay. She mentioned how Vanessa would be at the hospital with Ciara in the morning, once Gia was ready for visitors. It was another hour still before a doctor stepped out and called for Sarah's family. Shane got up and promised Kelly he wouldn't leave out a single detail as he went to talk to the doctor.

The doctor took Shane aside before he started to speak, "Sarah arrived to the ER with a brain edema – or swelling of the brain."

"She hit her head," Shane told him.

"She burst an artery," the doctor said. "The impact must have caused a build up of pressure, which caused the bleed. The excess fluid caused the swelling."

"Did you stop it?"

"We did," the doctor confirmed. "We repaired the artery and the swelling is starting to decrease. We hope that's a good sign for recovery."

"So she'll be okay?"

"We can't promise that," the doctor told him honestly. "There is brain activity. Your niece is very much alive and she's already showing signs of improvement, but with trauma like this, especially the second time around, we won't know for sure until she wakes up."

"What might happen?" Shane asked.

"Well, we'll be looking for a variety of symptoms," the doctor said. "Sleeping too much or sleeping too little could be an indicator of damage. If she lacks attention or has trouble sorting her own thoughts, or has an increase in the amount of headaches, or the severity, shows signs of depression…"

"She just lost her mother," Shane told him. "She's likely already going to be showing signs of depression."

"We'll make a note of that, but you'll have to be prepared for the depression to worsen."

"Is that all?"

"Her communication skills might suffer."

"She had a stutter last time," Shane told him. "It… improved over time, but…"

"She might also have trouble with fine or gross motor skills," the doctor said and looked to the worried uncle. "This is just a list of potential side effects. I can't promise she won't suffer from any of them, but you need to be prepared in case we're up against them. The sooner we can identify a symptom, the sooner we can begin treating it and the better her odds of recovery."

"What are the odds she'll bounce back?" Shane asked. "Like I said, she just lost her mother, her girlfriend was just in an accident that paralyzed her. She's had a rough go. If we throw that on top of everything else…"

"It's not hopeless," the doctor said. "But as I told you, I can't promise a full recovery. But your niece is showing brain activity. A lot of patients with second traumatic brain injuries aren't so lucky."

"Can I see her?"

"We'll let you know when she's ready for visitors," the doctor said. "I promise you, we'll keep you up to date on everything as soon as we know it."

"Thank you."


	9. Hospital Rooms

Serena knocked before entering Gia's hospital room. Even though she had been given the okay by Emma and her mother to visit the yellow Ranger, she knew Gia wouldn't appreciate the intrusion. Once she heard Gia call out for her to come in, she stepped inside. She pulled a stuffed tiger out from behind her back.

"They wouldn't let me bring Tiger in," Serena said. "I picked this up at the gift shop. Looks just like her, don't you think?"

"It does," Gia nodded as she took the toy.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit by a truck, then it backed up, and hit me again."

"You look pretty good," Serena said. "When Emma told me you lost a fight to Oedius, I thought there would be more bandages."

"I can't walk."

"Yeah, for a few months," Serena chuckled. "Besides, knowing you, that cast will be off in no time."

"Oedius is tough," Gia conceded. "I can see why the new guys are having such a hard time."

"She's kicked a few asses," Serena nodded. "You're the first one to do real damage."

"She got away."

"I watched the footage of the fight," Serena said. "You made her bleed. A lot. She'll be out for weeks, at least."

"Aliens might heal faster."

"You bought the Rangers time," Serena said as she sat in the chair next to Gia's bed. She spotted a drawing at the foot of the bed and reached for it. "Ciara's?"

"It's a get-well picture. It was apparently all mom could get her to do."

"It's nice," Serena said. "Though, isn't she old enough to write herself?"

"That is her writing."

Serena looked to the picture again. At the top, in neat printing, with all the words spelled correctly, Ciara had put: _"Get well soon, mommy! I love you so, so much."_

"How old is this kid again?"

"Five."

"She spells better than Terran. She writes better than me!"

"I know," Gia chuckled. She took the picture from Serena and looked to it fondly before setting it down.

"Is Jake flying back?"

"He'll be home tomorrow."

"That's good."

"How's Sarah?"

"She's awake," Serena smiled. "She's pretty out of it, though. Apparently, she's called the nurse mom a few times."

"The brain injury?"

"They're going to wait until the drugs wear off to see if that's the cause, or if it's the injury," Serena said.

"Fingers crossed."

"Have Wes and Eric talked to you about back to work?" Serena asked and hoped to switch the subject. Gia looked to Ciara's picture again. Serena frowned. "You are going back to work, right?"

"Ciara's almost lost her mother twice because of work."

"You love being a Guardian."

"And I can't think of anything else I'd rather do," Gia nodded. "But… we've already lost Jordan. Joe and Ciara are still upset by that. If something happens to me too… my daughter needs me far more than this city does."

"I can't argue that," Serena sighed. "But… how about we wait until you can go back to work before we make any final decisions."

"I…"

"You love your job," Serena reminded Gia. "Jordan… he died way too young, but we all take comfort knowing he died doing what he loved."

"I love my daughter more than my job," Gia insisted, and Serena nodded her head.

"I know, but I also know you're not the kind of person to just sit at home and watch cartoons all day. You like helping people. You need to help people."

"I can find another job…"

"Wait until you have to go back before you make up your mind," Serena said, and Gia gave a slight nod.

"I'll think about it."

-Ninja-Steel-

Shane was doing his best to keep up with the doctors at the hospital. Since Sarah's condition was still up in the air, he wanted to be sure he was ready for anything. He wanted to make life easier for her. He didn't want this to be another challenge for her to overcome. She had been through enough.

He wasn't by her side much, but Kelly made sure Sarah was never alone. She stayed with her girlfriend and kept Shane updated on the progress she saw. She had been the one to tell him of Sarah calling the nurse mom. She had just come back to and had a high dose of painkillers running through her system. The nurse did look like Jenny, so in the blinding light and the brain fog, it wasn't unexpected for her to be a bit confused.

Sarah was in a lot of pain, though, so the doctor had her sedated. Kelly waited by her bedside and flipped through the channels of the TV as she spoke with her girlfriend. Sarah was sleeping, but Kelly never wanted her to feel alone.

"I guess it was too much to hope this would stay private," Kelly sighed when she flipped to a news station and saw they were covering the attack. All they knew so far was that someone – or something, had attacked the Silver Guardian's HQ in Angel Grove, and that Gia and a civilian were harmed.

" _Officer Holling has been reported to be in fair and stable condition. We're still waiting on news of the still unidentified civilian, but from what we can gather, we hear that their condition is serious. Our prayers go out to the families of those affected. No word yet on who was behind the attack."_

"Prayers, schmayers," Kelly muttered as she turned down the volume on the TV. "How about you stop trying to pry into what's not your business and just let us recover in peace?"

She turned to Sarah, "I hope Emma keeps that footage guarded. If anyone ever finds out this was Oedius, or sees you as the pink Ranger, we're going to have a lot of trouble on our hands."

"It's just curiosity," Preston announced as he stepped into the room, carrying in lunch for himself and Kelly. "People don't like not knowing."

"I don't like the fact that my girlfriend is in the hospital and not knowing if she'll recover or not," Kelly muttered. "But I'm dealing."

"It's just a sandwich. Eddie made it before I left."

"Eddie?"

"Our cook," Preston said. It felt like so long ago since he had moved out from his family home. He didn't want to be around his parents if they forbade him from seeing Sarah, simply because of her sexuality. He especially didn't want to be near them if they were going to speak so poorly of someone he cared so deeply about. After some time away, his parents missed him, and were willing to open their minds a little bit so Preston felt like he could come home. Preston accepted the olive branch, but life with his parents would never be the same. He hardly spoke to them, and never really saw them. They would pay for his meals, his outings with his friends, and would support him financially for the rest of his life, if he needed it, but otherwise, they were estranged. Still, he had the benefits of maids, butlers and cooks, and at a time like this, having people working for him was a real benefit. "He says he's keeping Sarah in his thoughts."

"That's sweet."

"He's always been pretty cool," Preston nodded. "When I was little, and just learning to use my manners, he'd always sneak me a second helping of dessert if he heard me speaking kindly to someone on staff. Nothing motivates you to say please and thank you like two slices of cake."

"That would do it," Kelly said with a chuckle. Preston gave her the sandwich, then sat down to eat his own lunch.

"How is she?"

"She's still out," Kelly said. "But the last nurse in here said things were looking good. I think physically, Sarah will be fine."

"You think it'll be stuttering rage again?"

"She didn't stutter when she was awake," Kelly said. "That's a good sign."

"And her helmet would have absorbed a lot of the impact," Preston added. "Even if it's not right away, she could bounce back over time. I doubt we're looking at worse case scenarios."

"Still," Kelly said. She took a bit of the sandwich, and if they circumstances had been different, she would have raved about how this was the best sandwich she had ever eaten, but she kept her mouth shut except to tell Preston to thank Eddie.

"Have you seen Hayley since this?" Preston asked. Kelly shrugged.

"She's stopped by once or twice. Aaron too. It's bad timing, but he managed to get us a place on our own. We could move out, and Shane can get that new place he was talking about."

"A new place?"

"Sarah doesn't like being at home without Jenny and having a second story is really tough on everyone with my chair. He's going to downsize and make sure there's just one level."

"That's good."

"Yeah. So, Aaron said he'd rush to find a place and there's an apartment in the city that affordable. Hayley and I will be sharing a bedroom again but… I think I prefer it that way."

"You don't have to be alone," Preston nodded. Kelly had been through a lot too. She had lost three parents, and though she hadn't spoken to him about it in a long time, he knew she still struggled with Drex raping her. Now she had to worry for Sarah's health. Preston could completely understand why she might want to limit her time alone.

"Yeah."

Preston communicator buzzed, and Kelly tensed up. Before he answered it, he assured her it was just Mick calling him into training. There had been no sighting of Oedius since Gia had taken her down.

"I hope next time we do see her, she's dead," Kelly said and Preston couldn't help but agree.

"Let us know if anything changes with Sarah," he asked her and Kelly promised she would.


	10. Recoveries

"Personally, I think it's a bit petty," Levi said as training came to an end.

"Petty?" Brody asked.

"Bill betrayed her and Oedius got what she wanted. She killed him, killed Jenny and even if Sarah isn't dead, she was laid up for a bit. Going after her again? Petty."

"Who says she went after Sarah?" Calvin asked. "She went to Silver Guardian's HQ, in a different city."

"Where Sarah was."

"How would Oedius know that?"

"Oedius knows everything," Levi told him. "How do you think she knew to come to my place? How do you think she knew Bill wanted to stop working for her? How do you think she knew that Bill, Jenny and Sarah would all be in the same spot?"

"She does seem to be one step ahead of us," Brody nodded. "She did have that whole plan to destroy Galvanax and walk away with her hands clean. Still, no one suspects she planned on betraying him."

"His whole crew is dead," Calvin reminded him.

"His fanbase is still alive, and they're all rooting for Oedius," Brody said. Levi and Calvin looked to him suspiciously. "Okay… I keep up with the show. It's… addicting."

"It's a show where we get our asses kicked!" Calvin argued. "You like watching it?"

"I don't like watching it, but that's all I knew growing up and… it's hard to stop."

"You're weird," Levi said with a shake of his head. Preston stepped out of the bathroom.

"Who's weird?"

"Brody still watched Galaxy Warriors," Calvin said. "Hey, is anyone hungry?"

"Starved," Brody nodded. "I can order pizza."

"Does the pizza guy deliver up here?"

"Better question," Preston said. "Why do you watch Galaxy Warriors?"

"It's addicting."

"It's cruel and violent!"

"Fine, it's weird," Brody said. "But at least I know Oedius is manipulative and deceitful and out for her own gain."

"We all know that," Levi teased his brother and ruffled his hair before he got up. "I'll order the pizza. Any requests?"

"Pineapple," Hayley suggested as she came downstairs. Her hair was still wet, but otherwise, she looked ready to leave as she had her bag hanging off her shoulder and her shoes on.

"No." Calvin shook his head. "No, no, no! Please tell me she did not convert you. You are not the girlfriend I know."

"She didn't convert me, it's disgusting," Hayley assured him. "But Kelly just texted. Sarah woke up a few hours ago and is almost finished with some neurological tests. Shane's looking at apartments so won't be at the hospital for a while, so Kelly thought maybe we could stop by."

"Sarah's up?" Preston asked.

"And doing well too. She's no longer mistaking her nurse for her mother."

"Any chance she hit her brain hard enough that she knows how to read and write again?"

"I wouldn't go that far," Hayley said. "Can we have the pizzas delivered to the hospital?"

"I'm Levi Weston," Levi smirked. "I can have pizza delivered wherever I want."

"Wow, that was a bit douche-y," Brody teased his brother.

"I'm just saying, if I make the request, people will do what I ask," Levi shrugged.

"I thought you didn't want special treatment," Calvin reminded him. "Isn't that why you had that crush on Sarah."

"Hey, I've moved past that."

"Past the crush, or past the wanting to be a regular guy?"

"The crush."

"So, your regular guy is just a douche?" Preston asked with a smirk. Levi sighed loudly and rolled his eyes.

"Do we want the pizza delivered to the hospital or not? I can make that happen, guaranteed."

"Will you have them write " _Levi is awesome"_ in pepperoni, or is that a whole new level of douchebaggery?" Calvin teased.

"You know what, all pizzas will have pineapple on them," Levi said and he started to dial the number for the pizza place. "And you guys will have to pick it up."

-Ninja-Steel-

So far, neurological damage was minimal. There was some object confusion, as Sarah struggled to recall the difference between similar objects and she found she had some trouble with her fine motor skills, but otherwise, she felt and seemed much better. The doctor promised to examine her again and told her there was a potential for improvements as the swelling in her brain continued to diminish.

Kelly had to leave the room during the testing but was allowed back in after the doctor stepped out. She looked to Sarah, who smiled back.

"I passed."

"You did?"

"Not with flying colours, like I expected, but I'm not a vegetable and I didn't throw a crayon at the doctor in anger."

"He gave you crayons?"

"He had a crayon," Sarah nodded. "You know, to write down notes."

"A doctor writes notes in crayon? Was it Ciara who performed your test?"

Sarah frowned deeply. Was Kelly seriously teasing her, and why would she be teasing her about this? Doctors had crayons, so they could make quick notes while they were in the room with their patients. Her doctor had a crayon and recorded her answers and responses to questions and stimuli.

"He had a crayon."

"I think he had a pen," Kelly told her and Sarah realized what happened. She sighed.

"Right, a pen."

"That'll either get better, or I'll get used to it," Kelly said. "Nothing to worry about."

"I still passed," Sarah smiled. "Except for the… pen?"

"Yeah," Kelly nodded. She rolled up beside the bed. "The guys are all coming over. They're bringing pizza."

"Thank god," Sarah said. "I like pudding cups as much as the next guy, but if I have to eat another one, I might start oozing pudding from my pores."

"Could be worse," Kelly told her. "There's a mash downstairs that I don't know what it is."

"A mash?"

"Kind of looks like potatoes but smells like meat," Kelly said.

"Thank god for pizza," Sarah smiled. "Are they on their way?"

"They're picking up the pizza right now and they'll be right over. They ordered extra pineapple, too."

"Pineapple?" Sarah asked as she stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Ugh, why?"

"You love pineapple."

"I've never had pineapple on pizza," Sarah said.

"Okay, describe what you think a pineapple is, because I think this is the crayon all over again."

"Isn't it long and… yellow?"

"Long and… a banana?" Kelly asked.

"What's a pineapple?"

"This is going to take a lot of getting used to," Kelly said, then used her phone to show Sarah a picture of a pineapple pizza.

"I love that!"

"The doctor knows you're confusing things, right?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah."

"What did he say?"

"When he tests me again, he'll see if there's improvement, but at least it's only with things in similar categories."

"Fruits and writing instruments."

"Yeah."

"Better than dead."

"Or throwing cra… I mean pens," Sarah said and quickly corrected herself, which caused Kelly to smile brightly.

"I'm glad you're okay."


	11. Pizza and Guitars

A hospital pizza party wasn't at the top of Sarah's bucket list, but she had to admit it was a good idea. It had been a long time since she and the Rangers had a chance to just hang out. Since Anne had died and Bill had revealed he was working for Oedius, there had been a lot of drama and the teens had been on edge quite a bit.

With Oedius out of the picture, even if it was just temporarily, and Sarah's recovery going well, some time to let loose and be kids was exactly what they all needed.

"Okay, but you know the difference between a dog and a cat, right?" Calvin asked the pink Ranger. Sarah's current confusion regarding similar objects had come up a few times that night. She had asked for another slice of pie, instead of pizza, called the TV a computer and claimed she couldn't wait to get back to school and rest. The latter took a little longer for the others to figure out, because prior to losing her mother, Sarah both loved and excelled in school, so it wasn't unlike her to say that it was a safe space for her.

"Of course, I know the difference between a dog and a cat."

"Which one meows?"

"The cat," Sarah said, though there was a bit of hesitation in her voice, and she did turn her head to look at Kelly for confirmation.

"Which one do you ride?"

"The dog."

"You ride dogs?" Calvin asked with a chuckle and Sarah realized her mistake. He had tricked her.

"Donkeys, you jackass."

"Okay, not totally wrong there," Calvin laughed. "Horses."

"With the long faces and hooves."

"Dogs bark."

"Okay, I know that," Sarah said and tossed a piece of pepperoni at Calvin.

"Man, I miss having you at school," Calvin said as he picked the piece of pepperoni off his forehead and ate it. "And I have to admit, it would kind of be cool for you to keep getting things mixed up and just watch other people try to figure out what you're saying."

"It's cool now while we're having fun," Sarah told him. "But long term, having to explain what I mean all the time is going to get a bit annoying."

"You'll be back at school soon, though, right?" Preston asked her.

"Once I get the all clear, I don't see why not."

"Will you stay all day?"

"We'll see. If you're going to keep laughing at me, I might just have to play the headache card and duck out early."

"Hey, where's that footage of Oedius getting her ass kicked?" Brody asked. "I'd love to see it."

"It's pretty gory," Kelly frowned. "Lots of blood spilling from her chest. It's a miracle she walked away like she did."

"It's a miracle the fire alarm was pulled," Levi said. "You know, in a way, you and Gia are only alive because of her."

"Oh, I can't wait to throw that in her face," Sarah smirked. Kelly squeezed her hand.

"How about we don't taunt the psychotic evil monster who's already got a pretty long list of murder victims?"

"I've never seen Oedius getting beat before," Brody said, going back to his request to see the video. "Maybe Gia did something we can replicate, or maybe she revealed a weak point that we can target."

"You really want to watch a video where one of your best friends and a Silver Guardian nearly die?" Preston asked.

"We know it ends well." Brody gestured to Sarah, who was taking a big bite out of her pizza. Her appetite was back, and she hadn't complained of pain for a while now. She had passed her first neurological exam and the Rangers knew that since her helmet would have absorbed most of the blow, it was likely Sarah would continue to see at least some improvements. "For the first time, Oedius was knocking on death's door."

"She took a while to bounce back when I blew up the boat. It was months before we saw her again."

"So big blasts of energy work," Brody said.

"She blew up a boat?" Levi whispered to Kelly.

"She means ship," Kelly said. "As in spaceship, not boat… uh… well, ship."

"Where can we get that much energy, though?" Hayley asked. "If you've gone to visit Gia, you'll know she took a pretty big hit herself, and that's with her Ranger powers giving her a boost."

"She said she got lucky that her aim was true," Kelly nodded in agreement. "If she missed, she and Sarah would have been defenseless."

"So, if we use all our powers and miss, there's nothing standing between Oedius and taking over this planet," Preston concluded. "And it's not like Gia killed her. We'd need more power than what one Ranger has."

"So, half the team gives her a good blast, and the other half stands in defense in case they miss," Calvin suggested. "We train up, get stronger and whoever thinks they can deliver the most firepower takes their shot."

"That almost killed Gia," Sarah said. "We would run the same risk. Anyone here want to risk their lives for a single shot at taking out Oedius?"

The room went silent. There were no volunteers. While everyone wanted to be able to claim they had stopped the monster for good, the risk of failure was too high. If they missed, or miscalculated the energy they needed, the team would be down to half its numbers.

"Oedius has to misstep at some point," Brody said. "When she does, we have to be ready."

"So, we just hang in there until she does?" Preston asked.

"Or until we get a better idea," Levi nodded.

"Back to square one, I guess," Calvin muttered, but Brody shook his head.

"I know it doesn't feel like much, guys, but after what happened, we know Oedius isn't indestructible. She feels pain and she came so close to losing. After everything she's put us through, it's a good reminder that there's still hope. We're all alive, we all can and want to keep fighting. We can do this."

"And that's why you're red," Hayley said just as a nurse knocked on the door. As he stepped in, he looked to the group of kids.

"I hate to break up the party, but visiting hours are almost over. You'll have to pack up," a nurse announced as he stepped into the room, then he looked to Sarah with a smile, "It's probably a good idea if you rest up."

"Huh?" Sarah asked and looked around the room.

"It's time for your friends to go," the nurse told her, but Sarah still didn't seem to be putting the pieces together. Kelly took her hand gently.

"Sarah, do you remember where you are?" she asked. Sarah looked around again.

"It looks like a hospital?"

"But you're not sure?" Kelly asked and when Sarah shook her head, she turned to the nurse, "I think she just had a seizure. Last time it happened, she was confused for a while."

"Did you notice any symptoms?" the nurse asked. Kelly shrugged.

"We were all just chatting. I swear, Sarah just said something like… a minute ago."

"Okay, well we are aware of the epilepsy. I don't think it's anything to worry about, but I'll have a doctor check it out. You can wait outside for results, but the visiting hours are over."

"Sarah, you're okay?" Preston asked. He knew regardless of the visiting hours, they would have to leave. For the doctors to work they needed the space and didn't want to put up with unnecessary distractions. He didn't want to leave Sarah if she was still a little confused, and maybe even scared. But Sarah nodded her head, already showing her friends she seemed a bit more alert.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine," Sarah promised.

The Rangers gave her a quick nod and a few well wishes before heading out. As the nurse had told them, they could wait around for results, so they stopped in the waiting room and took a seat. It didn't feel right to go home until they were sure Sarah would be fine.

Kelly rubbed her hands against the armrests of her chair. Since Sarah's first seizure, Kelly had witnessed a handful. They weren't all that common and weren't obvious either. Sometimes, it only seemed like Sarah was daydreaming and other times, Kelly just notice a faint twitch in her face. They were always short, and so were never something to worry about, and while there was always some confusion right at the end, Sarah would seem to bounce back afterwards, like she had just done.

Still, Kelly was worried. Sarah had just passed her neurological tests, but what if this seizure was a sign that something had been missed?

"It's going to be fine," Hayley said and sat next to Kelly. "What the doctors don't know is that Sarah's helmet did take most of the impact."

"I know… but what if most still wasn't enough? I mean, she's confusing some of her words and…"

"I do that when I get tired sometimes," Hayley said with a shrug.

"But…"

"We're not going to think about worst-case scenarios right now," Hayley told her. "It's hard, but we'll sit here and try not to worry about anything until someone gives us something to worry about."

"Yeah," Kelly nodded her head, but she couldn't stop from worrying. Fortunately, Levi knew what to do to keep busy. In the waiting room, just a few seats down from where he was sitting, was a teenager holding a guitar and looking a little morose. Like them, he was probably waiting on results from a loved one.

Levi had been in Summer Cove for a while, and though it was a big city, he only frequented the same areas. He had fans approaching him regularly still, but there weren't mobs of people anymore. Everyone had gotten used to seeing him around the school and the surrounding neighbourhood, so it wasn't a big deal. They had their pictures and their autographs and would often just say hi to him on the way.

Still, just like with the pizza order, his fame did have a few perks. He turned to the teenager with the guitar.

"Hey, you play?" he asked. The teenager shook his head.

"It's my friend's. We were on the way to a gig when we got rear-ended."

"Ouch. You okay?"

"I'm fine," the teenager answered. "But… my friend had a pretty bad headache. We're here just in case."

"My friend's got a headache too," Levi told him, then pointed to the guitar. "Do you think your friend will mind? When I'm worried about something, it helps if I play a few songs."

"Uh… I think that's fine," the teenager nodded and offered the guitar. "He's a pretty big fan."

"I hope he feels better soon," Levi said as he held the guitar across his lap and started to strum to make sure the guitar was in tune. Once he got the sound just right, he started to play his last single. It had been a while since he had produced anything new, and a while since he had done anything like a live performance or even an interview. He had been out of the spotlight for a while, so he wasn't surprised when he saw a few people take out their phones to record him.

Kelly smiled as she listened to Levi play his songs. It didn't keep her from worrying, but at least now she had a little distraction to help time go by. Hopefully, by the end of it, Sarah would be okay.


	12. The Comforts Of Home

To everyone's relief, but especially Sarah's, the seizure was nothing serious. The following seizures were nothing serious. The doctor had mentioned that they were possibly going to be more common than before, but that if they were mild, there was little to worry about.

Sarah's headache had also improved. She no longer felt like she had lost a fight to Oedius and instead was starting to feel more like herself again. Her word confusion had also improved to the point of disappearing (unless, like Hayley, she was tired).

She had been discharged from the hospital and while the doctor had recommended she go home for more rest, Sarah didn't want to head home. Her injury had been a good distraction from her parents' death, but that was still on her mind. She couldn't go home, not while still recovering, when she knew her mother wouldn't be there to help.

Shane told her he would be at home with her. He assured her that whatever she needed, he would get. He understood when Sarah told him it wasn't the same. He missed his sister too and living in her house without her felt weird. It was why he was so eager to move out. It would be hard leaving her home behind, but it would be a fresh start for the new family. They would be sure to take her pictures and the memories, so as not to leave her behind.

Sarah also didn't want to go to the Romero's. Since their base at the school had been converted back to a paint room, it was the Romero home that served as the new Ranger base. Unfortunately, Oedius had destroyed the workshop when she killed Sarah's parents and Sarah didn't even want to step foot on the property.

"I get it," Brody nodded after Sarah tried to explain to him why she might never visit him again. "You'll remember I didn't visit this place at all until we found Aiden."

That much was true. While Brody did always have a home once he returned to Earth, after discovering that his brother wasn't there, he didn't want to go back. It was the place where he used to think he had seen his father die, and the place where he had been abducted. It held bad memories for him too. Aiden's return had helped him forget those, at least enough to return, but Brody still remembered hating his home.

"I guess it's kind of bad luck," he said.

"So now where do we go?" Calvin asked. "School's out, the workshop is out…"

"There is somewhere," Shane said. "Trust me, you'll love it."

He drove the Rangers from the hospital to the site of the Ribbon Tree. He parked the car and led them up to the tree. There, the Rangers saw Mick, RedBot, Serena and Gia waiting for them, as well as Shane's friends Tori and Dustin.

Shane pointed to the tree, "Tada!"

"Great, we have a tree fort," Brody said sarcastically with a frown. "Okay, I know we're just kids to you, but we're real Rangers, you know."

"We know," Tori said with a chuckle. "You're real Rangers, and you need a real Ranger base."

"And since I can't loan you my pirate ship," Gia chuckled, "And since you're ninjas, we came up with this."

"This part is so cool," Shane smirked as he watched Dustin turn to the tree, then walk towards it. None of the Ninja Steel Rangers were sure what he was trying to do, until it appeared the tree had sucked him inside.

"It's Ninja Ops," Shane said when he saw their eyes go wide in shock. "Well, not our Ninja Ops but… it's a new one. It's yours."

"How did you…"

"I can't tell," Shane shook his head. "But I can promise your base is bigger than it looks."

"Can we try?" Brody asked and the others cleared a path for him to follow Dustin. Brody walked to the tree, both nervous and excited as he approached. Suddenly, he was on the other side, but instead of being inside the tree, he was in what was very obviously a command center. They had their furnace set up to forge new Power Stars, computers and monitors so they could keep track of monster attacks, a place to rest, with a couch, a TV and a video game console, and a small kitchenette, where they could prepare some simple meals, if they got hungry.

Everything they would need was in their base.

"This is incredible!" Brody smiled as his friends joined him. "You built all this for us?"

"You Rangers need a spot you can unwind," Serena said. "We had the Shiba House, with all the comforts we could ask for."

"We has Gosei's cave and the ship," Gia said.

"We had Ninja Ops," Dustin told her.

"We kind of combined all three," Shane explained. "The comforts of the Shiba House, the isolation of Gosei's cave, and… well, the secrecy of Ninja Ops."

"The park isn't completely isolated, though," Preston said. "People visit all the time. Won't someone see us disappear into the tree?"

"Symbol Power," Serena blew on her Samuraizer and smiled. "There's symbols all around the park. Protection symbols. They'll keep Oedius and her monsters away but allow humans to walk through. Anyone who isn't a Ranger, former or current, will forget what they saw, if they saw you walk into the tree."

"Thus, the isolation," Gia said. "You have your own place to hang out or hide out. You can talk freely about Ranger missions, or even just do your homework out here."

"Okay but… that hill is a bitch to climb in the chair," Kelly said as she pointed outside. "Am I really meant to haul my ass up and down once a day?"

"There is another entrance in shop class at the school," Mick told her. "The paint room is already locked with a passcode. You enter the digits 0828 instead of the paint room code and when you walk inside, you'll be brought here."

"You can enter from the school after you're done classes," Shane said. "Or if you're coming from after a battle or need to leave to a battle without drawing attention from the school, you can exit the Ribbon Tree."

"And I'm already working on flight for your chair," Sarah promised her girlfriend. Everyone looked to her in surprise. She shrugged, "What? I have a working hoverboard. You don't think I'm going to come up with a way to make my girlfriend's chair hover too?"

"That's pretty cool," Kelly smiled.

"Once you can hover, the hill should be no problem," Serena said. "So, what do you think?"

"Does it have any games?" Calvin asked. The former Rangers frowned.

"The base?" Dustin asked.

"The base doesn't have… how could it have games?" Tori asked.

Calvin pointed to the console. "Does that have any games, or do we have to buy them ourselves?"

"It's got games," Gia chuckled.

"Sweet! I gotta call my parents and tell them I'll be home late," he said as he dove to the couches and picked up the controller. As the other joined him, ready to unwind and enjoy their new base, Shane walked over to Sarah.

"It doesn't have everything, but until we move, you can stay here," he told her. "I know going home is hard."

"I'll be home from time to time," Sarah promised him. "I've gotta make sure you're doing okay, right?"

"I'll visit too," Shane assured her. "And I promise, if you ever need anything…"

"I know," Sarah smiled.


End file.
